Naruto: Makaze Mangekyou
by Neotonix
Summary: Shortly after becoming the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, Naruto is experimented on with cells from Uchiha Madara. Watch as Naruto learns to harness this incredible power and control the blackest winds with his new eyes. From the evil winds, the evil windmill blows.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Now, with the release of this story and my other newest one, I promise to start working on my other stories. Now if you're going to complain and go "WORK ON YOUR OTHER ONES FIRST", I'll simply say "SCREW YOU!" Seriously, let a man write what he wants. If you don't want to read it, don't read it. I'll update my other stories eventually, so just be patient. But for now, chew on this. I'm hoping that this will be my masterpiece.

Naruto: Makaze Mangekyou

Prologue

-Six years ago-

_A pale hand rested against the glass incubator as a wide grin reflected eerily against the glossy surface. After the foolish Yondaime transferred the demon fox into his child, he had taken the initiative to steal the fresh Jinchuuriki and whisk him away to the underground lab while the people were still in mourning. Even his old teacher had not noticed him sneaking into the infirmary. Laughing maniacally, he watched the baby wistfully as he placed all of his future ambitions on it. With the cells of Madara, his new body would be unstoppable! Getting the blood had come at a price, but if the gene experiment worked, this child would have all the abilities of Madara and more! All of his other subjects had failed him, but since this was the child of THAT man... _

_He looked over towards an empty vial as he frowned. That was the last of the blood. All of his hopes now rode with this child. It would be just a little longer until the child's DNA combined with the foreign blood sample. If the baby survived until then, his ultimate host would be born. Just a little-_

"_OROCHIMARU!"_

_The man turned as he heard a familiar voice call his name._

"_Ahh... Sarutobi-sensei? Have you come for the child?" Outwardly Orochimaru showed no surprise. But on the inside, he began screaming at the machine to finish the process faster. Five minutes..._

"_I thought that I had banished you those many years ago. How dare you come to this village and start your experiments again. The Yondaime is dead and now you disgrace us with your abduction of his son! I thought that I had raised a strong and righteous shinobi."_

_The snake sannin narrowed his eyes dangerously as his gaze pierced the aged man. "Shinobi are never righteous, sensei. We do things for the sake of power. Such is the fate of all weapons." Four minutes..._

"_Orochimaru! I will stop you here now. Four years ago, I did not have the heart to turn my hand against my own student. But today, you will meet your end!"_

_A sudden alarm went off as both men turned to look at the container. The baby's vital signs flat lined, causing the snake man to swear aloud. He was so close... If only the child had just survived for a few more minutes! Deciding that it was a lost cause, Orochimaru sighed as he saw his former teacher summon Emna. He would try to attain the blood sample again and replicate the experiment with a different host. _

"_As much as I would love to stay and kill you, I have other matters to attend to Sarutobi-sensei."_

_Making some handseals, a large gust of wind tore through the cavern, allowing Orochimaru to fly away with it. Sarutobi was about to chase after him when his summon suddenly stopped him. _

"_Wait! Check up on the child."_

_Sarutobi clenched his fists as he nodded. His old friend was right. The boy came before his personal vendetta. Walking over to the glass container, he emptied the strange yellow fluid before cuddling the motionless young child in his hands. Small tears leaked out of his wizened face as he looked at the innocent child in sadness. Today they had lost two great men—one had given his life for the village and the other had died before being given a chance. Emna, the wise monkey king, sighed as he bowed his head. _

_However, a gurgle suddenly echoed in the dismal cavern, causing both of them to immediately look at the baby. The baby coughed out a couple milliliters of yellow water before crying. _

_He was alive! Sarutobi thanked the heavens as he wiped his tears. Nodding to Emna, he dismissed the monkey king and stepped out of the chilly cavern. Their great hero had fallen today, but an even greater one had stood up in his place. _

_Uzumaki Naruto. I hope you will continue the legacy your father has made and make it even greater. I will be counting on you in the future._

_But as the wind settled and the soon to be reinstated third Hokage walked towards his office, the baby's eyes peeled open as a sudden pinwheel of black clashed against a crimson background. And then, before the old man could notice, it disappeared behind the great cerulean eyes of the child and hid, ready to emerge in the coming years..._

TBC...

I know that there's been quite a lot of stories with Naruto having the Mangekyou, but trust me. MINE'S GOING TO BE TOTALLY AWESOME! So stay tuned. This is one story I'm itching to write.


	2. The Windmill Begins to Turn

A/N: Warning! A LOT happens in this chapter. So it's really fast paced. This will continue up to the third chapter before finally slowing down to a more manageable speed. I did this because I want to skip to when Naruto learns how to use his sharingan.

Chapter 2: The Windmill Begins to Turn

The molded flowers threatened to break apart under the harsh winds and the clouds seemed angry with the world. As five year old Uzumaki Naruto looked up at the sky, his two blue crystalline orbs felt water splash against their irises. Tears seemed to form, but his face remained impassive without the usual puffy visage that most people experience. Walking over to the sandbox, his small hands clutched the muddy dirt...

And he played.

It was here, during the cover of night and rain, that he could play in peace. It was here, with no one around him, that he could hide from the penetrating glares of those terrifying people. It was here...that he felt human.

It had been exactly 890 days since he had been kicked out of the orphanage. He knew because he counted the times the sun passed over him and rose again from the foliage of the Konoha forest. The majority of the days he hid from the sun and stayed in his one bedroom apartment. The Hokage made the occasionally visit, even bringing candy and other treats from time to time. But that was it. Everyone else feared and scorned him, thinking him to be a demon of sorts.

Uzumaki Naruto was no fool, even at such a young age. He knew of the Kyuubi and how he hosted the great demon. His birthday was the celebration Kyuubi's defeat. The Hokage had praised him for his high cognitive ability. It wasn't hard to put two and two together. In the end, he discovered the truth behind the stares long before he felt any presence of his tenant. But October 10. It would be coming soon. He would have to make his annual trip to the forest and wait while the celebration occurred. His home was an especially popular site during that day with rocks thrown through his window from angry drunkards. The ANBU usually took care of them, but they always returned every year to throw more rocks. But despite the treatment, he did not hate them. No. He did not hold any resentment. He had long since abandoned self-pity; it was a harsh lesson that he had been taught early on in his life.

But even as he convinced himself that nothing was wrong and that he was as happy as possible, the muddy castles built by his calloused hands fell apart from the moisture caused by his silent tears and the rain.

"Ahh?" He smiled as he felt the mud crumble. "I guess sandcastles don't work well with water." He tried a half-hearted attempt to laugh but instead ended up coughing. But even as the sand fell apart, he continued to push together mounds and towers in hopes of replicating the exciting experience he had seen those children have just six hours ago. But as he continued to work, he missed the looming presence that stalked towards him.

"What are you doing here?"

Naruto immediately turned around as his face paled. His hands were covered in mud. As if they were blood from a horrific crime scene, he quickly tried to wipe them on his shirt. The man stepped closer and knelt down. One look at the collapsed sand castle told him everything. With a smile, he used the bottom of his shirt to help the child wipe his hands.

Naruto's eyes widened as his body froze. What was this man doing? Why was he helping him?

Finishing the deed, the stranger then stood up as he let the rain clean his now dirty hands.

"Well now. We can't have a child standing all alone in the rain, can we?"

Naruto looked up at the man as he tried to pull his mask up. "I was playing..." Whether it was because of the rain or cold, his usual facade of apathy was failing miserably.

The man smiled as he ruffled the child's hair. "Well Naruto—Your name is Naruto, right?"

The blond haired child nodded slowly.

The man stretched out his hand as he smiled. "My name...is Uchiha Shisui."

At that moment, the wheels of time began to turn, spinning endlessly and relentlessly in a spiraling motion that would give birth to the greatest sharingan user the world would ever see.

-Three Years Later-

"SHISUI NI-SAN! ITACHI-SAN! I FINALLY DID IT!"

Shisui and Itachi broke from the conversation as they saw a small child run towards them.

A blond child dressed in black garb looked up at them in sheer happiness as he pointed to a target. "Look! I can do the technique you guys showed me!"

Making handseals, Naruto took a deep breath as he channeled his chakra. **KATON: KARYUU ENDAN**

A blazing stream of white hot fire erupted from Naruto's mouth and incinerated the nearby log. Itachi looked mildly impressed as Shisui reached down and lifted up Naruto.

"WOOOW! THAT WAS TOTALLY AWESOME NARUTO! I couldn't do that until I was ten! You even beat Itachi by three months!"

Naruto blushed as he scratched his head. It had been three years since he had met Shisui and already he had learned so much. Of course, their relationship had to be kept a secret since the Uchiha clan would never allow a stranger to learn their techniques. But Shisui was surprisingly lax on Uchiha laws while his friend Itachi didn't really seem to care about anything.

Naruto looked over at Itachi as he smiled knowingly. Ever since he had met Shisui, the Uchiha prodigy had helped the blond learn many things. In fact, it was he that had actually brought up the idea of training Naruto in the first place.

As far as he knew, Itachi and Shisui had been best friends ever since they were young. Due to their near identical appearances, they were frequently confused for each other. The solemn Itachi looked exactly like Shisui save the strange lines running below the former's eyes. Also, Shisui had slightly lighter hair bordering on a dark blue. It was quite interesting to see the two debate about who had better looks. But of the trio, it was Naruto who had changed the most. Before he met Shisui and Itachi, he had never known the meaning of companionship. These last years had been great for him; the training and conversations were a joy for the young blond youth. Moreover, he had already learned nine jutsu and had a vast amount of training in taijutsu.

"Naruto, come here." Itachi beckoned Naruto as he held up a piece of paper. "This is your schedule for the next two years. Since I have to start training for ANBU, Shisui will have to look over your training."

"So we won't see each other anymore?"

Itachi smiled as he ruffled Naruto's hair. "I'll definitely visit. And next time, I'll even bring Sasuke."

Naruto brightly smiled as he thought of the younger Uchiha. He had only met him twice, but those were some good times. Sasuke was a nice and hard working person. Although he seemed jealous of Naruto's relationship with his brother, the two had hit it off quite nicely and had even trained together on the random occasion. Of course, he had been careful to hide his true strength in fear of alienating the young Uchiha.

"Oh, but before you go home Naruto. Here, a present from both of us."

Shisui handed Naruto a long wooden box with the word "fire"on it. He tried to open it but found that the cover was sealed tightly.

"It has a blood seal. The gift's a little advanced for you right now, so we made it so that it'll open when you have a certain amount of chakra."

Naruto nodded as he humbly thanked the two for the gift.

Itachi then shuffled through his bag as he pulled out an old scroll. Naruto noticed out of the corner of his eye that Shisui seemed surprised to see it there.

"Itachi, that's-"

A penetrating glare silenced him as Itachi proceeded to hand the scroll over to Naruto. "That scroll is the greatest treasure of the Uchiha. It holds all the secrets of the sharingan as well as the dark past associated with it. Since you are not of Uchiha blood, you cannot open it. That is why I am entrusting you with it. Make sure that it is never found."

Shisui looked troubled as he nervously glanced at the scroll. If the clan members found out that he had the scroll...

"Don't worry. I won't fail you." Naruto determinedly gazed at the two. Itachi nodded as he gave one of his rare smiles.

"Yes, I know." Standing up, Itachi patted Naruto's head one last time before walking away. "Shisui, we need to attend the clan meeting."

Shisui grumbled as he stood up slowly. "Geez... Those old farts just have to call these random meetings during our vacation. Sorry Naruto, we'll have to play later today. Why don't you go training for now?" His face adopted a more serious pose though as he went up to Naruto and whispered in his ear. "That scroll is more dangerous than it seems. I think I know why he gave it to you, but regardless of anything that might happen, know that it will bring trouble. Make sure no one knows about it. And if you have to... burn it. There are things in there that need to stay hidden. This is a big burden, but I trust you." Smiling once again, he waved goodbye as he ran to catch up with Itachi.

Naruto nodded to himself as he put the box and scroll down on Shisui's porch. Sitting down, he began meditating as Itachi's words echoed in his mind.

_A good ninja does not need strength or speed. He only needs precision and accuracy. Knowing thousands of techniques will not help you. Knowing five incredibly well will save you. Don't fall for flashy jutsu; they tend to be useless and overrated. The most important thing is to visualize and waste as little movements as possible. Control the battle with your mind and you will control the outcome. Meditation can help you do this._

Naruto's eyes remained completely still as he focused his chakra. To an outside observer, it appeared as if the child was simply sitting. But if one looked inspected the boy's chakra, they would see it weaving intricate patterns and designs across the boy's body as if it were a dance. The chakra itself was nearly invisible since visible manifestationwas, according to Itachi, a waste of energy. And so, Naruto continued his silent meditation as he felt his chakra expand beyond his own thoughts and bridge into nothingness.

OooOo

Hinata was angry. No... She was furious. Just because she had learned Jyuuken at the age of five did not mean that her younger sister had to start training at the age of four. At this rate, her father would end up breaking her little sister before she even got the chance to speak properly. Ever since her mother's death, her father had been unusually strict in his training regimes, demanding that the Hyuuga heiress learn as much about the clan's techniques as possible. It was from this "tough love" that she developed an icy aura around her person. At one time, she had been a shy and caring person. Her father had changed that. Now she was known as the "Ice Princess of Konoha", a ridiculous title if she had anything to say about it. If anyone were to blame for her cold demeanor, it was her father. But it was during this fine morning that the young Hyuuga was especially angry. So angry that she had left the Hyuuga grounds and had wandered farther than she had ever wandered before. Eventually she had gotten lost and had ended up looking for any familiar streets. But it was because of her predicament that she saw him.

He was sitting down on the porch of a small shack in the middle of the forest. His face was extremely pale and his hair was a strong blond. His clothes reminded him of the Uchiha, the sworn enemy of all Hyuugas. But based on his hair color, she had good reason to believe that he was probably part of another clan. The strangest thing about his features were the three lines running across his cheeks in a whisker fashion. Making the handseals necessary for the Byakugan, she tried to take a closer look at them before something even more fascinating took her attention. The chakra inside his body was moving with incredible flexibility. Even older Hyuuga's did not that have ability. As if he were totally aware of every movement, his chakra seemed to react to his thoughts and twist and turn. So mesmerized was she by his technique that she missed the slight twitch in his eye.

"What are you doing here?"

Hinata broke out of her thoughts as surprise shook her. However, she quickly adopted her cold attitude as she walked towards him.

"I was walking around the village and I saw you doing that with your chakra. What's your name boy?"

Naruto slowly opened his eyes before looking up at the girl. She was small, with an even paler complexion than him. Her pearl white eyes complimented her dark blue hair and judging from her clothes, she was from some rich family. Not that he cared though.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto. So what's your name...girl?"

Hinata narrowed her eyes dangerously as she clenched her fists. How dare he call her a "girl"? Didn't he know who she was? Granted, she was only eight, but still! In her home, she had the respect of adults and seniors ten times her age. And yet this boy dare address her in such a way?

"My name is Hyuuga Hinata. But you must call me Hyuuga-sama."

"Eh? That's not really cool for me." Naruto yawned as he stretched his legs. "Why should I address you as sama? You're probably the same age as me."

Hinata bit her lip as she clenched the sides of her white kimono. If there was one thing her father successfully drove into her, it was that hard work made you superior to others. Forgetting the earlier ease with which the boy controlled his chakra, she stepped up to him and looked up at his eyes.

"You will address me as Hyuuga-sama because I am your superior. In a fight I would defeat you in less than a minute."

Picking up the scroll and the wooden box, Naruto stepped down from the porch and started to walk away. He didn't need this right now. After all, he had training to do.

Hinata stared at his retreating figure in bafflement. First he disrespected her and did not address her by her proper title. It was rare of her to even grace a commoner with her words, yet he completely ignored her! More than that though, she was surprised at herself for getting so worked up. Usually she would be the one ignoring people. But for some reason, he just... caused her to feel unsettled. Deciding that this was an opportune time to vent some anger from her earlier experience with her father, she called out to him.

"Hey, boy!"

Naruto stopped mid step.

"I challenge you to a duel. As a ninja, you'll accept, right?"

Naruto thought for a second as he contemplated his choices. He could always just keep walking and ignore her, but she seemed like one of those stubborn types. Of course, he could fight and win and knock her down a few pecks, but that wouldn't be cool since he'd miss out on precious training time. Then again, Shisui ni-san always did tell him to take what you could get. After having sparring sessions with only Itachi and Shisui, perhaps an easier opponent would help him gauge his strength. Besides, from the way she carried herself, he could tell that she had indeed gone through some difficult training.

"Okay, I accept your challenge. But let's make some conditions first."

Hinata smirked as she nodded. "If I win, you must address me by my proper title and be my servant for the rest of your life." For some reason, something about that last part made her feel a little strange.

Naruto turned around as he placed his scroll and box down. Taking off his black jacket, he tossed it towards a nearby tree and cracked his neck. "Okay. But if I win, you call me by my name. Also, you have to teach me some of your jutsu."

Hinata was taken by surprise for a few seconds before nodding. It wasn't as if he would win anyways. And even then, a non Hyuuga could never learn the Jyuuken.

"I agree."

Naruto nodded as he stretched out his limbs. "Why don't you attack me first. I've had little practice going on the defensive, so it'll be a good experience for me."

Hinata's eye twitched as she pushed chakra towards her hands. Sprinting forward, she lead with her right and waited for the impact. It never came. The boy was surprisingly agile. Rearing her left hand back, she then continued her strikes, but none of them hit.

"Your footing's a little slow. So even though your hands are fast, your lower body can't keep up so you end up lagging a little."

Hinata was about to retort when she realized that her father always told her that. Even more angry, she charged again—this time with her arms following her feet. Her hands suddenly hit something soft and immediately she knew that she won. Once Jyuuken made contact, the enemy would be immobilized and unable to move their body.

"You should have done a follow up attack."

Hinata's eyes widened as the boy grabbed her outstretched hand and grinned. The boy didn't seem hurt at all! Trying to break free, she pulled back her hand but winced as his grip tightened.

"Another mistake I saw was that you tend to get overconfident. In a real battle, one attack isn't going to finish anyone. Plus, you never know what advantages your opponent might have. For instance, I can control the chakra in my body to reflect any attacks you do. Also, another disadvantage you have is that when you attack, chakra leaks from your hand. By concentrating harder, you should be able to keep all of that chakra inside your pathways and give a stronger attack."

Hinata stopped struggling as she realized that he was right. Despite her storming pride, he had pointed at one of the greatest weaknesses of Jyuuken. Still, she wasn't the Hyuuga heiress for nothing. Releasing chakra through her pores, she let out a wave of chakra that took him momentarily by surprise. Now free, she jumped back as she activated the Byakugan. She would not lose.

Naruto watched interestedly as he saw her eyes bulge and adopt a strange tint. She was definitely good for her age, but he had a feeling that she had some aces hidden up her sleeve. Then again, so did he. Not allowing her to do whatever she was going to do, he quickly made handseals.

**KATON: HOUSENKA NO JUTSU **

Hinata quickly jumped away as she saw nine fireballs attack the ground. Despite the adrenaline rush, she had to admit that it was an impressive attack. She had little respite to ponder though as her byakugan caught a blurry movement to her left. _He's fast!_

**KATON: GOUKAKYU NO JUTSU**

A giant fireball went straight towards her. However, her byakugan caught it it in time and she rolled to the left. Running forward, she launched a series of attacks that caused him to jump back. Finding her chance, she jumped up after him and attacked his leg. With glee she realized that it made contact since he seemed to land awkwardly. She was far from done though. Running forward, she dived towards the ground and used her right hand to attack the tenketsu points on his left leg. Finally he wouldn't be able to move so quickly.

Naruto swore as he felt his legs tremble from exertion. He hadn't fully mastered chakra control near his legs. That was the hardest area to shield from chakra oriented attacks. As he was now, he could probably only manage a light jog at best. But then again, he didn't need his legs for this match. Throwing himself headfirst at the floor, his arms pushed off as he began a series of handsprings. With momentum, he didn't need to rely on his legs if his arms were strong enough.

Bewildered by his movement, Hinata stood back as she saw this tumbling wheel of yellow and black fly towards her. Not knowing how to counter, she simply dodged. It seemed he anticipated this though, since he stopped turning midair and began another series of handseals.

**KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU**

A clone materialized in midair and grabbed onto Naruto. Swinging with all its might, it then launched the boy at the girl before dismissing itself. As Naruto sped through the air, Hinata's body froze. Seeing his chance, Naruto turned his body and grabbed her shoulder, causing both of them to fall onto the ground. He immediately then grabbed her left arm and pinned it behind her back.

"I guess I win since you can't really do anything."

Hinata gritted her teeth in pain as she tried to free her arm. After a couple futile attempts at swiping him, she rested her head on the floor and sighed. It was humiliating, but...

"Okay, I give up. You win."

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"..Naruto."

The blond boy smiled as he let go of her and stood up. Hinata sorely stretched her arm before frowning.

"I don't get how I lost. Father made me work so hard and yet you beat me so easily."

Naruto patted some dirt off of his pants as he walked over to his items. "You don't get it, do you? You're limited by your style. In the end, the only thing you could do was attack me with your chakra strikes. They're amazing techniques, but if your opponent is faster than you, you have no chance."

Hinata nodded as she felt a bitter feeling climb up her stomach. If she was still so weak, she would never be able to protect her sister.

"Of course, you have amazing chakra control and you're able to think fast. Also, your Jyuuken technique really is amazing. My legs are still stiff from your attacks. So don't be discouraged. You should just try to work on your speed."

"Oh... Thanks. I guess." She quickly turned her face as she felt a light red tint grow on her cheeks from the earlier compliment. It was rare that she ever got constructive criticism. "I'll try to work on my speed."

"Good." Naruto was about to walk away before he suddenly stopped as if remembering something. "That's right! The conditions for my winning was that you'd teach me some techniques!"

Hinata paused as she thought carefully. "But I don't know any techniques besides the Byakugan and Jyuuken."

Naruto thought for a second before smiling. "Then you can teach me Jyuuken."

Hinata scoffed as she thought of the idea. "There's no way someone without the Byakugan can learn Jyuuken."

"We won't know unless we try, right? How about meeting here next Friday?"

Hinata hesitated as she thought of her training. "I guess I could spare one day."

"Great! I guess I'll see you next week. Bye then!"

Hinata raised her hand slowly as she waved. It had been an interesting morning for sure—despite the ordeal she had gone through with her father. But perhaps it turned out to be a blessing. Looking around, she saw the black jacket the boy had thrown earlier dangling off a tree. Shaking her head, she took it and decided to give it to him the next time they met.

_Oh shoot. I'm still lost. I should have asked for directions._

OooOo

Hinata walked towards the complex as she kept a sigh of relief buried inside her throat. After hours of asking and walking around, she had finally found the Hyuuga district. Walking into the familiar giant gates, she was at once ambushed by several branch members.

"Hyuuga-sama! Where were you?"

"Why are your clothes so dirty?"

"Hiashi-sama is incredibly mad!"

Hinata grumbled as she turned to them. "Out. None of your business. And I don't care." Ignoring the rest of their pleas, she walked into her room and shut the door. She was surprised however to see her sister waiting on her bed.

"Onee-sama."

Hinata smiled as she took off her dirty kimono and placed it in a basket. "I was out training. Sorry for leaving you behind Hanabi-chan."

Hanabi nodded before seeing the black jacket. Tilting her head she looked up questionably.

"Jacket?"

Hinata blushed a little before tossing it on the bed. "It's...from a friend." Ducking into the shower, she closed the door and sighed. The day had been interesting indeed.

OooOo

Naruto wiped the sweat off of his brow as he finished his last squat. Reveling in the feeling, he practiced the speed of his handseals as he tried to nail them down to a second.

_Okay... So far I know four Katon jutsu, Kage Bunshin no jutsu, one Doton jutsu, henge, kawamiri, and bunshin no jutsu._ _Shisui ni-san said that my taijutsu was good and that my speed was my greatest asset. Also, I've learned a lot of techniques with the chokuto and have an okay mastery over combat with it. That leaves Genjutsu. I only know one technique, but Itachi-san said that he would teach me more of those later. _

Looking up at the sky, he noticed that it was a full moon today. The moon was unusually white and large, reminding him of his earlier encounter with the girl. Despite having only Itachi and Shisui for company, he had been quite talkative with her. In the corner of his mind, he thought of next week and how they would meet again. He had no doubts that Jyuuken would be hard, but having another teacher besides Itachi would probably help him. Besides, he had learned that it was good to specialize while remaining open to other techniques. Continuing his handseal practice a little longer, he became satisfied with the speed and shook out his arms. Tomorrow was Saturaday, aka hell day, where he would spar Itachi and Shisui. He always ended up with a broken bone or two, but thanks to the fox it usually healed by the next day. That didn't mean that it didn't hurt though. Wincing, he did a cool down stretch before walking back to the apartment. It was already late so Shisui ni-chan and Itachi-san probably already went home.

-Down at the forest stream seven miles from the Uchiha clan house-

"What's the deal Itachi? It's Naruto's birthday and we haven't given him a proper celebration yet."

Itachi looked at the water before activating his sharingan. "Shisui. Do you know the history of the sharingan?"

Shisui nodded as he looked at his friend. The change of topic surprised him, but he answered nonetheless. "Yeah. It was in the scroll that you gave Naruto. Why did you give it to him anyway? It'll only bring trouble for him."

Itachi nodded as he closed his eyes. "It was for the sake of his survival. There is no one more suited to carry that scroll than that child."

Shisui looked at him cautiously as he asked slowly. "What do you mean?"

Itachi sighed as he looked up at the full moon. "That boy...has something akin to the sharingan."

Shisui nodded as he stepped up to the water. "Yeah, I know. You haven't been the only one training him. I didn't think that you knew though. Is that why you gave him the scroll? Would it really matter though, since he's not of Uchiha descent?"

Itachi nodded. "Shisui, do you remember reading about the Mangekyou sharingan?"

"Yeah. It was supposed to be the first sharingan, called the Evil windmill, and was made by Uchiha Madara. Only a select few can activate it. There are six methods for activation, the fastest yet most difficult process being killing your best friend. The symptoms of sharingan users capable of gaining the Mangekyou are horrific nightmares, deteriorating eyesight, and strong bursts of killing intent that-"

Shisui paused as he noticed Itachi's crimson eyes staring at him. He paused for a few seconds before sighing. "Ah... I had a feeling that you would try this."

Itachi's face remained impassive as he continued staring at Shisui. "You suspected me?"

Shisui brushed some bangs out of his hair as he smiled. "Of course. I was always the smarter one. And my eyes are better than yours."

Itachi smiled as he pulled out a kunai. "Then you won't blame me for doing this. You've had ample time for preparation."

Shisui nodded as he activated his sharingan. "Ever since I met you, I knew that you were going to surpass any other Uchiha and achieve the impossible. I became your friend in hopes of changing you, but it seems as though I was too late. You were corrupted from the start. I'm sorry that it became like this. I really did care about our friendship. As for Naruto, I thank you for helping me take care of him."

Itachi nodded solemnly. "The only reason why this will work is because you have become my best friend. I truly do acknowledge you as a talented shinobi and a dependable person."

Shisui took out a kunai as he let the moonlight bathe it in a glorious shine. "If it is our destiny to fight, then I will fight. I have no delusions about who's stronger, but I guarantee you that I will not make it easy."

Throwing his kunai, Shisui ran towards his friend.

That night, under the mournful eye of the moon, two friends fought...

And blood spilled from one while the other walked away with crimson eyes, never to be the same ever again.

TBC...

A/N: Bit angsty in the beginning, a little slow, but overall, a nice chapter me thinks. Don't worry, the flow of the chapter will change after the next chapter. Like I said in the beginning, I want to hurry up to when he learns the sharingan. I'll update this one soon, probably in a few days. OH! And about Hinata. I know she's really different compared to canon. I will justify my reasoning by saying

I need a strong character to be Naruto's friend and Hinata works well for helping Naruto grow.

She's been growing up in harsh conditions. But don't worry, as she becomes friends with Naruto, she'll slowly change. Just trust me in the end.

So yeah. Read my other stories if you're bored and tell me what you think.


	3. Jagan

A/N: Thank you everyone for reviewing. It was really fun reading and answering them. I can't spoil the plot line, but I'll try to clear things up. Yes, Naruto knows Shunshin. I left that out last chapter. And as for what's in the box... You'll find out soon. Oh, and a chokuto is a straight sword (like the one Sasuke uses in canon). Now without further ado, I give you the third chapter.

Chapter Three: Jagan

Naruto panted as he slid away on all fours, his fingers digging into the ground to slow his speed. That last attack had been particularly vicious and had succeeded in breaking two ribs. Feeling the Kyuubi already start to heal the bones, Naruto unsheathed his chokuto and rushed Itachi. Traveling at a speed that almost caught the sharingan user by surprise, Naruto disappeared and reappeared in Itachi's blind spot, ready to deliver a severing blow with his sword. It was all for naught though as Itachi grabbed Naruto's sword hand without looking.

"You're legs go faster than your arms. Basically, you have lag time. You should know better than to come at me with anything less than perfection."

A slight wave of nostalgia hit Naruto as he tried to escape. It was too late though, as Itachi threw him up clear into the air. The Uchiha began some handseals as he held his fingers up to his mouth.

**Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu**

A fireball the size of a small arena flew up towards the airborne boy, covering a radius of thirty feet. Flying into a set of handseals, Naruto immediately made twenty clones. They then linked together with their arms and threw the real Naruto out of the fire's path. Landing on a branch, he stabbed his sword into the tree trunk before counter attacking with his own set of handseals.

**Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu**

Naruto unleashed a stream of fire that ran down his own clones and collided with Itachi's fireball. The result was a gigantic eclipse that showered the Uchiha with red hot fire. Knowing that he would have dodged the attack, Naruto jumped towards a nearby branch and created three Kage Bunshins. Sending out each one, he created a perimeter and used the only doton jutsu he knew.

**Doton: Doryuuheki**

The four Narutos all spat out mud which quickly grew into an enclosed area with 70ft high walls. It had taken almost all of his chakra, but with this technique, he had succeeded in trapping the Uchiha prodigy. Summoning another clone, he made it toss him up as far as it could. He then summoned another one in midair, making it throw him up further. He continued this process six times until he finally reached the top of the wall. Smirking, Naruto knew that Itachi would not be able to escape since he had made the walls with a special trick. By weaving his chakra into specific patterns, he made it so that any chakra contact with the wall would be impossible—thus, you couldn't climb the walls with chakra. Creating a series of handseals, Naruto was about to unleash his strongest fire technique into the cubicle when he suddenly felt a strong burst of killing intent leak down from the bottom of the man made building.

It happened in an instant. The walls suddenly shattered into a million pieces as an enormous black flame erupted from the center. Naruto could only stare at the scene in shock as he saw his near impenetrable wall topple into nothing. It simply became mounds of dirt and sand, unable to stand up with only his chakra for support. Looking down in slow motion, a sudden shadow flew up towards him as felt...pain. Looking down, his eyes widened as he felt Itachi twist the kunai inside of stomach before letting him fall. However, Naruto suddenly felt his descent being slowed with a wind. Looking up, he saw Itachi floating down in a similar fashion. Shuddering, he knew that if Itachi had not used the fuuton jutsu at that moment, even Kyuubi's chakra would not have been able to save him from the fall. Despite the wound in his stomach, Naruto slowly stood up as he felt his feet land on the ground. Walking over to Itachi, he groaned as he pulled off his shirt.

"Itachi-san. You're so strict today! You never stabbed me before."

Itachi closed his eyes as his lips tremored a little. Breathing slowly, the man then opened his eyes as a steely gaze came across his features.

"You did well today Naruto. I am sorry for going too far, but it was for your own good."

Naruto spat out some blood as he sat down on the floor. "I don't think I'll ever get used to being stabbed."

Itachi smiled as he too sat down on the forest floor. "Don't worry. You are strong for a ninja. I am sure that one day, no pain will ever hurt you."

Naruto's eyes brightened as he stood up. "Reall- OWWW!" Naruto swore as he fell back down on his butt. "Maybe I should take it easy for a while. But thanks for the compliment Itachi-san! It was only because of you and Shisui ni-san that I was able to come so far!"

Itachi nodded as he felt a small twinge of guilt rise up in his stomach. He quickly eliminated it though as he adopted his apathetic aura again.

"Ne... Where's Shisui ni-san again?"

Itachi quickly replied with ease. "He said that he had a mission. He told you to keep training and stay out of trouble."

Naruto nodded as he laid on the ground. Sure, he got a lot of training when Itachi was there, but Shisui always made training fun with his creative games. One time they fought while only standing on their hands. Smiling at the memory, he recalled Shisui putting Itachi in a choker hold with his feet. He had experienced some good times, and he hoped that they would continue forever. Even if he was never accepted by the village, as long as he had Itachi and Shisui... everything would be okay. Turning towards Itachi, Naruto sighed as he felt his wound closing.

"Itachi-san?"

Itachi turned his head as he raised an eyebrow.

"How did you do that one technique. The one with the black fire I mean. I never knew that such a strong flame existed."

Itachi shook his head as he shrugged. "It was by instinct. I recently gained an...asset. It seems as though that technique was one of the benefits. But your attack was also well planned and carried out. In another scenario, you might have actually ended up disabling me."

Naruto blushed as he scratched his head. "Ahhh... You're making fun of me. There's no way I could match you guys yet. You guys are the strongest ninja ever!"

Itachi smiled at the innocent comment as he whispered to himself. "Yes. Sometimes it is a curse."

Naruto did not notice the teen's comments though as a butterfly suddenly caught his attention. Forgetting about his wound, Naruto jumped up and ran towards it while laughing. Itachi merely shook his head as he sighed. Despite his strength, Naruto was still a child. It would take more to make him into the shinobi that he wished to face. A dark thought suddenly penetrated his mind as he unconsciously activated his sharingan. It would take something...horrific. Itachi suddenly shook his head as he rubbed his temples. There was a line that he would draw. He would never intentionally hurt the child.

_But you already did. You did not hesitate to stab him before._

_He has the Kyuubi. _Itachi rationalized. _I only did it because it wouldn't harm him._

The sinister voice in his mind laughed as it replied. _Did you really think that at the time? I know you wanted blood. I felt your mind craving it. You wanted to kill him._

_No! _

_You already killed your best friend. Why is this boy any different? _

Itachi blinked as he felt his head spin in circles. What was happening to him? Deciding that he was probably hallucinating due to fatigue, Itachi stood up as he called Naruto.

"Naruto, come here."

The blond jumped up as he ran towards Itachi.

"It seems that the day's activity has proved stressful for me. I will go home and rest now. I want you to continue training until sunset."

Naruto nodded as he strapped on some weights and retrieved his sword from the tree. "Sure. I was planning to train with my sword some more. I want to be faster than Shisui ni-san!"

Itachi nodded as he turned to walk away. With a light jolt he remembered that his younger brother had gone to the academy orientation today. He would start school in a week or so..

_Tonight is the night. He said that you had to carry out the plans this evening. With this, you will complete me and we will become the greatest Uchiha! _

Itachi felt his head split as he continued to walk towards his house.

OooOo

Naruto cut through the last leaf as he quickly sheathed the sword. Jumping back, he admired his handiwork before collapsing to the ground from exhaustion. Shisui had once said that he had cut two hundred leaves while they were still falling from the trees. Each slice had to be perfectly in the center with the two halves exactly symmetrical. Naruto noted with a frown that he could only manage sixty, if not eighty on his good days. The exercise required extreme speed and sword control. Moreover, it trained your eyes to be able to see every little random movement of the leaves. His brother was a genius in that aspect. While Itachi had an incredible capacity for learning jutsu and refining his technique, Shisui stuck with the elementary basics and focused on honing his greatest asset: speed. Supposedly, Shisui was even faster than the enigmatic green beast of Konoha. The so called "beast" was a mystery to Naruto because both Shisui and Itachi had refused to allow Naruto to meet him.

Rain began to fall as the sky became menacingly dark. A storm had been coming for a long time. Looking back at the fallen leaves, Naruto sighed before picking himself up. It was time to go home.

OooOo

Hinata sat up from her bed as she rubbed her sore arms. Her father had disciplined her severely for walking out of the complex yesterday. It was worse that Hanabi had to see too. The young girl had immediately started crying when her father began attacking her with the bokuto. Clenching her fists, she turned over and stretched her arms. Eventually the pain subsided as she moved her chakra through her system. As she felt a wave of refreshment, her mind began to turn to other things. Despite her earlier experience, she was actually quite excited to meet the boy—what's his name—Naruto again. He had demonstrated excellent analytical ability and had helped her progress far in such a short time. Her father had been surprised by their last training session. Besides that, he had been kinda cute...

"Knock knock"

Hinata broke her thoughts as she heard her door open. Dressed in her sleepwear, Hanabi walked into the room and looked at Hinata. Sighing, the Hyuuga heiress lifted her blanket. "You can sleep with me tonight if you're scared of the storm."

Hanabi smiled as she dove into her sister's bed and snuggled against her. Hinata couldn't help but smile as she remembered how her mother used to do this with her. Looking down, Hinata noticed that the young Hyuuga had already fallen asleep. Shaking her head, she too rested her head as her thoughts of the blond broke from her consciousness and sleep overtook her.

OooOo

Itachi smiled as his Mangekyou sharingan began to spin at a frightening velocity. Was it time already? Was he calling him to do it now? Closing his eyes, Itachi released the final stage of the sharingan and donned his ANBU clothes. He had been told to take care of all the civilians and his parents. Plus, he needed to sow his seed... But was his strong enough to be able to take care of the entire police force in just a couple of hours? Itachi shook his head as he felt the chakra from his eyes leak into his brain.

_He is immortal, he is almighty. You must obey him for power._

Itachi closed his eyes as he clenched his fists. _That's right. I need to trust him. He, who made me who I am. He, who showed me my destiny. I'll do the deed... Madara-sensei!_

OooOo

Naruto walked through village as he rested his hands upon his head. Pulling down a couple strands of hair, he stared at the blond color before frowning. He had always wanted dark colored hair like the Uchihas since his bright hair would attract too much attention on the field. Closing his hands, Naruto smiled as he looked up at the moon. Rain sprinkled into his eyes as he felt his body feel warm despite the cold water. This power that he had received from his two trusted friends.. He would use it to protect them. Deciding to see if Shisui had come yet, Naruto swiftly ran towards the Uchiha district. Using the Henge technique mid-sprint, he transformed into Sasuke. The boy had said that it would be okay to impersonate him once in a while if he wanted to come play. Grinning, Naruto pumped some chakra into his legs as he quickly disappeared from normal sight and used shunshin.

OooOo

Sasuke breathed heavily as he threw his shuriken at the target. He was supposed to have gone home two hours ago, but for some reason, he just felt like he had to learn the shuriken technique his brother had showed him. Pushing down the childish want to go home to his mother, he threw another set of shuriken. He would show his brother that he could take the title of Uchiha and make their father proud. Jumping, he let kunai fly as six of them hit their target. The other two flew off into the distance though, causing him to swear and run after them.

_Just you wait Itachi ni-san. I'll show you what I practiced today! _

OooOo

"WAIT! PLEASE! STOP!"

Itachi watched with an uneasy feeling as he saw a sword fly through his aunt's neck. Looking down, he realized that it was his arm. Biting his lips, he jumped to the next person as he split their spine neatly in two. Blood showered over his figure as he looked around him. In just two hours, he had taken out nearly all of the civilians. Of course, it was no spectacular feat for a ninja like himself, but for some reason, he felt his arm getting heavier after each stroke. Was it guilt?

A voice in the back of his mind laughed as it urged him forward. He needed to do this, to get rid of the disease... just like his sensei said. Only then would he gain the ultimate power.

Another scream pervaded the area as he raised an eyebrow. Was there still someone left? Turning into the nearby house, he stepped through the living room and saw a young girl shaking her mother's corpse.

"Ka-san! KA-SAN! Why aren't you moving? Why don't your eyes open? Ka-san!"

Itachi watched with an immovable expression as he stepped forward. The young girl finally took notice of him and yelled in hysteria.

"Please! My mom isn't waking up! Can you help-"

Her voice was silenced as another shower fell. Clenching his sword arm, Itachi walked out of the house, his Mangekyou sharingan spinning fiercely. Looking up at a nearby pole, he jumped up to it and looked over the Uchiha village. This magnificent village was nothing but decayed power now. The true might of the Uchiha had faded with Madara's disappearance. But... He would bring back that power. A familiar sensation hit Itachi though as his eyes suddenly honed in on someone. It was his brother-no, that chakra belonged to...

Widening his eyes, Itachi's heart began racing as he realized that Naruto was about to see the carnage that he had committed. He was about to jump down to stop him in reflex when that strange voice suddenly emerged from his head again.

_What are you doing? Why do you care about such a boy? He is simply a tool...nothing more. _

Itachi clenched his fists as he relaxed his shoulders. He had other things to do right now. He needed to set up the trap... the trap for his future light.

OooOo

Naruto looked up at the moon as he felt a shadow pass over him. It didn't make sense that the entire town was this quiet. Even more, he could have sworn that there was someone standing on that pole a few seconds earlier. Rubbing his eyes, Naruto continued down the road and turned. Stopping, his eyes widened as he saw red, red, red...

_What the hell is going on? Genjutsu?_

Running over to the nearest person, he bent down as his hands touched the man's bloody neck.

"KAI! KAI!"

It was no use. This wasn't a genjutsu. Some sick person had actually done this. Closing his eyes, Naruto swore as he ran to Shisui's home. Praying that his brother was still away on his mission, Naruto jumped over the house's gate and threw open the door. The sight he saw was definitely not what he was expecting though.

A man with long black hair was sitting cross-legged on a single tatami mat. His white kimono was perfectly untouched as if he did not belong in the world. Naruto narrowed his eyes as he brought out a kunai.

"Hey. Who are you, and where's Shisui ni-san?"

The man slowly stood up as he narrowed his eyes. "I thought I told that kid to finish off the civilians." Looking down, the man paused as he saw the whisker marks on Naruto's face.

"Ah... So it's you."

Naruto reached behind him for his chokuto as his sweat drops hit the floor. This man... Somehow, he could tell that he was unbelievably strong. There was something unnatural about him. Maybe it was his smell. He surprisingly had the strong scent of blood..

"YOU! YOU WERE THE ONE WHO DID THIS!"

Pulling out his chokuto all the way, Naruto unleashed a wave of chakra that washed over Shisui's home.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO SHISUI NI-SAN!"

The man laughed as he stepped forward. "Do you want to see, young one, just what happened to your friend?"

Naruto remained silent as he watched the man's movements.

"Well then, let me show you." Naruto watched with a foreboding curiosity as he stared into the man's eyes. A strange sharingan manifested inside the man's eyes, although the tomoe were empty and connected. In fact, it looked like someone had gotten two sharingans and placed them over each other. Suddenly, the strange circles began spinning at a frightful velocity, taking Naruto's own blue eyes in with them.

And then, he was at the forest.

"Where.. Where am I?"

The man appeared next to him as he pointed down towards a river. "You are in the past. You wanted to see what happened to Shisui, didn't you?"

Naruto nodded dumbly as he peered over the hedge. He didn't buy this whole act, but it seemed so real. Even greater than the genjutsu that Itachi had often put on him. Surprised, he saw Itachi and Shisui talking a few meters below them. Something about the sharingan or Mangekyou? Stepping forward, he caught their words as a strange feeling of anxiety began to build up in his gut.

"Ah... I had a feeling that you would try this." _Try what? _Naruto looked between the two.

"You suspected me?"

"Of course. I was always the smarter one. And my eyes are better than yours."

Naruto listened on with a morbid feeling creeping up his spine. Shisui only made jokes when things got really bad.

Itachi smiled as he pulled out a kunai. "Then you won't blame me for doing this. You've had ample time for preparation."

Shisui nodded as he activated his sharingan. "Ever since I met you, I knew that you were going to surpass any other Uchiha and achieve the impossible. I became your friend in hopes of changing you, but it seems as though I was too late. You were corrupted from the start. I'm sorry that it became like this. I really did care about our friendship. As for Naruto, I thank you for helping me take care of him."

Itachi nodded solemnly. "The only reason why this will work is because you have become my best friend. I truly do acknowledge you as a talented shinobi and a dependable person."

Shisui took out a kunai as he let the moonlight bathe it in a glorious shine. "If it is our destiny to fight, then I will fight. I have no delusions about who's stronger, but I guarantee you that I will not make it easy."

Naruto shook his head as he sprinted towards them. "WAIT! SHISUI NI-SAN! ITACHI-SAN! PLEASE DON'T FIGHT!"

Naruto realized with horror though as a kunai passed straight through him as if he were a translucent being. Looking back, he saw Itachi aim his hand palm down towards the ground.

"Shisui, this is the gift I earned for entering the ANBU. I was able to see the famous copy nin Kakashi's original technique, RAIKIRI!"

A giant blazing blue flashed around Itachi as a loud screeching noise resounded through the area. In an instant, Itachi flew towards Shisui, and everything turned black.

Naruto rubbed his eyes as he looked around. What had happened to Shisui? What did Itachi do? Frantic, Naruto fell on his knees as he looked around the ground with his hands. Feeling something, he clenched it as he felt a moist texture meet his pale hands. Suddenly, light returned to him as he saw Itachi standing above him while Naruto's hand rested on the edges of a giant hole in Shisui's torso. Naruto's eyes widened with disbelief as he saw a black flame appear in Itachi's hand before fading back to nothing. Turning around, the Uchiha left the scene, leaving Naruto alone with his dead brother.

"SHISUI! ANIKI! HANG ON! DON'T DIE!"

Madara silently watched as Naruto continued yelling at Shisui's lifeless face.

"SHISUI!" Looking around, Naruto's eyes became frenzied as he grabbed his head. "No.. This isn't real. Itachi-san would never do that... Shisui can't die... It's impossible. It's all a trick, a dream, a genjutsu!" Turning around, Naruto yelled at the man.

"STOP THIS! THIS ISN'T REAL! THIS IS GENJUTSU!"

Madara smiled as he looked at the boy in amusement. "Yes, you are correct. This is genjutsu. But this is did happen in the past. One of the abilities of the Mangekyou sharingan is that I can look into the anyone's past as long as I make eye contact with them."

Naruto shook his head as he looked at Shisui's body. "No, you're lying."

Madara smiled as the world began to warp back to Shisui's house. "Believe what you want, demon. But why not ask the killer himself? It seems he's come to join us."

Naruto froze as he felt a familiar presence behind him.

"Hello Naruto-kun. I see you found out the truth."

Naruto slowly turned as he saw the apathetic face of Itachi. Seeing his bloody blade, Naruto's voice became hoarse as he weakly muttered.

"It.. was true?"

Itachi didn't bother to answer as he passed by Naruto and walked to Madara. "I've just finished off the last Uchiha, save my brother. He should be experiencing the effects of my Tsukiyomi right now. I made sure to make the...adequate preparations."

Madara smiled. "Good, good. With this, you shall become my successor. After we finish off this demon, let us leave. I do not want my presence to be known to Konoha yet."

Itachi nodded as he took out a kunai. He stopped however as he saw Naruto's quivering form.

"Itachi-san. I asked you a question."

Itachi frowned as he listened.

"What I saw just now.. Shisui's death.. Was it all true? Did you really murder your best friend?" Naruto's face was downcast as his fists clenched tightly by his side.

"Yes. Everything you saw happened. I killed my best friend and obtained the final level of the sharingan, the Mangekyou sharingan. You saw my power earli-"

A burst of red chakra flew through the house as the walls began to crack. "SHUT UP! I'LL KILL YOU BOTH!"

Beads of sweat began to form on Itachi's head as he felt his body weakening under the pressure. He had already used Tsukiyomi and Amaterasu today. If Naruto did fight, he wouldn't stand a chance.

Both of them were interrupted though as Madara began laughing. "You're interesting boy! Even though you suffered from the effects of my sharingan, you still have energy to fight! That rage will help you grow even stronger. Join us and become even more powerful, Jinchuuriki Naruto!"

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Naruto unleashed another burst of energy before disappearing in an instant. Materializing from thin air, Naruto slashed at Itachi's arm, causing a large gash-like mark to appear. Disappearing again, he reappeared in front of him and did a horizontal slash, just barely short from cutting the man's jugular.

Itachi gasped as he looked at the boy in slight fear. The speed he had was tremendous. In that one swipe, he had also attacked six—no seven times with his fist. It would be dangerous if he prolonged the fight.

Holding his breath, Itachi felt the last of his reserves go as he called upon the Mangekyou once again. Looking into Naruto's eyes, he yelled. **TSUKIYOMI!**

Naruto looked around as he suddenly appeared in a giant world with discolored lights. _Genjutsu? _Struggling, he realized that he was tied onto a cross. Suddenly, Itachi's form materialized in front of him.

"This is my world, Tsukiyomi. From now, until 72 hours later, you will have this katana run through your body."

Itachi reared his sword back and was about to attack when he suddenly found that he couldn't move. With shock, his arms suddenly became bound to a wooden cross as Naruto stood in front of him.

"What? How are you-"

Naruto looked up at Itachi as his eyes brightly showed in the discolored light.

"How can you have... the Mangekyou?!"

OooOo

Madara watched with interest as he saw the boy struggle in his mind. Victims under Tsukiyomi always seemed to go under a catatonic stupor. It really was quite amusing to see their frozen faces. It was only a matter of time before they returned and the boy regressed into the corners of his mind.

However, something quickly went wrong. Madara's eyes widened as red chakra began to leak out of the boy. What surprised him most though, was that the chakra was slowly turning darker, changing from deep crimson to finally black.

_Black chakra? There's no such thing. Out of all the colors of chakra, only the god Izanami, the one who gave birth to Amaterasu, Susanoo, and Tsukiyomi, was said to have had black chakra. Could this be the legendary..._

The elder Uchiha's thoughts were interrupted once again as he saw the situation reverse. Itachi's face began to look troubled as the boy relaxed. And then, Naruto opened his eyes, revealing a black cross in red surrounded by multiple kanji.

_THE MANGEKYOU? _Madara froze as his mind tried to think of any possible reason. Not only was the boy not an Uchiha, but he had even managed to obtain the legendary sharingan: The Makaze Mangekyou!

The genjutsu ended as Itachi fell to the ground and Naruto focused his eyes on Madara. The boy looked as if he had no power left though, as all the black chakra seemed to fade and disappear back into him. Moreover, the Mangekyou had regressed to the normal sharingan, with only one tomoe in each eye.

"He turned my genjutsu against me. Forgive me."

Madara nodded coolly as he walked over to Naruto. However, the inside of his mind was screaming for the boy's death. "It seems that it was a mistake to make the Kyuubi attack Konoha. To think that such a powerful being other than myself would be born... I will rectify that mistake now with this day."

Pulling back his hand, Madara was about to plunge it through Naruto's heart when multiple chakra signals appeared around them. Looking around, Madara muttered a silent curse as he walked back over to Itachi.

"Secrecy is our top priority right now. We must leave quickly."

Itachi looked at Naruto with slight hesitation before asking. "And Nar... I mean, the boy?"

Madara smiled wickedly as he helped support Itachi. "We will let him take the blame for our deed today." Looking back at Naruto, Madara smiled. "It will be interesting to see how you grow. I will be watching and studying you in the future." Making foreign handseals, Madara and Itachi then disappeared in a flash just as three Konoha nins broke into the building.

"HALT! WHO ARE YOU!"

Naruto slowly turned as his sharingan dimly glittered in the light.

"Oh my god.. It's the demon! He has the sharingan! He must have killed the Uchiha!"

Naruto felt his body lose its energy as he struggled to understand what they were saying. For some reason, he felt so tired... he just wanted to go to sleep and...

"He's weak! Kill the demon now! We will take revenge for the Konoha Police force!"

Naruto struggled to stay conscious as he saw three shadows loom closer and closer...

A vicious voice suddenly snarled from the back of his mind as a kunai was about to slice his neck. _**WHAT ARE YOU DOING BRAT! MOVE NOW! YOU'RE GOING TO GET KILLED!**_

Naruto's head snapped up as his eyes registered the movements of the ANBU in slow motion. Face impassive, his eyes gleamed a manic red as black crosses took the place of his pupils.

**MANGEKYOU!**

OooOo

Thirty ANBU stood outside Uchiha Shisui's home as they waited in apprehension for the return of their comrades. They had sensed a lot of chakra activity from this area, so they hoped that the perpetrator and murderer was still there. Looking in the cabin, they fidgeted as they heard shouting.

"Captain..."

The ANBU Captain looked over at a newer recruit as he stepped forward. "Those three will be okay, right?"

The Captain nodded as he looked at the house. "Those men are some of my strongest ninja. All of them are highly skilled. Nothing short of a demon will ever bring them-"

**-BOOM-**

The Captain paused mid sentence as his eyes widened and his mouth fell open. The entire house suddenly exploded in a giant vortex of black flames. If he hadn't felt the intense heat, he would have thought that it was more of a tornado then just fire. It was like seeing the entire fury of Kami himself explode on a single patch of land.

"Ca-captain! There's someone walking out of that thing!"

The Captain squinted his eyes as he saw a small figure step out of the flaming vortex.

"Impossible.. It's the Kyuubi container.."

The ANBU all took out their swords as they gulped in nervousness. One of them suddenly cried out as he jumped towards the child.

"WAIT!" The Captain tried to stop him but it was too late. As soon as the man approached him, Naruto faded out of view with an entire line of ANBU chopped into pieces behind him.

Despite the blazing fire, the ANBU captain was able to hear the soft words that the boy spoke.

"_Don't get in my way. I'm going to find them.._."

The boy's face was completely blank and devoid of emotion. Despite his years of battle, the man couldn't help but shiver. His pale visage was half shadowed by black flame and chakra. The sharp contrast seemed to make him seem translucent, especially in the bright moonlight. But those eyes... Those crimson eyes seemed almighty, omniscient, and almost..cursed. Like a ghost, he seemed out of place there, as if he were some spectral being that had come from the heavens—or the deepest reaches of hell.

Turning his head, Naruto made eye contact with the Captain for a split second before finally disappearing into the night. The ten ANBU near the captain simply watched him leave as they thanked Kami that their lives had been spared.

"Captain!"

The young ANBU from before ran up to him as he breathed heavily.

"We tried all the water and earth jutsu we had, but the fire won't go out! Thankfully though, it seems to be contained in that small area and isn't spreading."

The Captain nodded as he looked at the teen. "I see. I will report this to the Hokage." The ANBU saluted him as he disappeared towards the tower.

The ANBU watched in fear as the eternal black flames of hatred seemed to favor the darkness. As if it were reaching towards the heavens, this Will of Fire appeared tainted—as if it were the essence of evil itself. The ANBU, though all seasoned warriors, could not help but fear this imposing flame as their own hearts cowered in the shadows of its sable figure.

OooOo

"WHAT? UZUMAKI NARUTO?!"

The ANBU Captain winced as he saw the Hokage stand up. He had never seen the Sandaime so distressed. Rather than calming him down, it seemed to have the opposite effect as he now felt even more fear. If the Hokage was this worried...

"This is truly a horrible event. Where is young Sasuke?"

"He is resting in the Konoha General hospital under intense medical treatment."

"He was hurt?"

"Not physically. But he showed signs of extreme mental distress."

The Hokage gravely nodded. "And you're sure that no one else was there."

The Captain hesitated for a second before shaking his head. "When we found Uchiha Sasuke in his home, he was laying on the ground while muttering his brother's name over and over again."

"Itachi-kun was murdered also?"

"No. I do not think so. We did not find his body. But more than that, Sasuke seemed to repeating his brother's name with fear and..."

The Hokage raised an eyebrow as he waited for the Captain to finish his sentence.

"And hate sir. I have reason to believe that Uchiha Itachi was the mastermind this evening."

The Hokage felt a small glimmer of hope for the young Namikaze heir as he looked to the captain. "What do you mean?'

"This is just a theory of course, but when we arrived at the Uchiha settlement, we sensed three powerful chakra signatures. However, when we arrived, only the boy's was left. Yes, the boy was a murderer as he slaughtered my men, but his eyes seemed to hold a bitter sadness. It wasn't something that you'd see in a mass murderer's face. I simply think that there's more to this than meets the eye."

The Hokage gravely sighed as he rubbed his temples. "I would like to believe you Tenzou, but I cannot do anything at this point. The fact remains that Uzumaki Naruto murdered twenty-three men and holds a dangerous ability. I will try to have Jiraiya work on the flame. But for now, I do not think that it will be an immediate threat to the village."

"And the boy's status?"

The Hokage pulled out a paper as he began writing. Please put this in the bingo book. Thank you for your report Tenzou. Get some well deserved rest."

Tenzou nodded as he took the paper. Standing up, he walked out of the office and left the Hokage to his grief.

"Naruto... This is my fault." Weeping, the old man looked outside as the rain began to fall. "Your present, the eternal black flame, shall be my constant reminder. I wish you luck in the outside world, Namikaze Naruto."

OooOo

"Kakashi! Did you see this?"

Kakashi looked up from his novel as he saw Asuma barge into his appartment. "Eh? What are you talking about?"

"There's a new addition to the bingo book!"

Kakashi waved him away as he went back to his book. "Oh, is that all? There are additions being made everyday."

"This one is only eight years old!"

Kakashi put his book down as he walked over to Asuma. "Now that _is_ interesting."

OooOo

"Zabuza-sama! Please come here!"

Zabuza walked over to his young protegee. "What are you looking at?"

"It seems Konoha has sent Kiri information regarding a new SS Class Ninja in the bingo book."

"SS Class? You don't see that everyday."

Haku smiled as he looked at the picture. "Hey, he's even younger than me!"

Zabuza smirked as he read the boy's name. "Interesting... Bounty of 10 million yen."

OooOo

Kabuto walked over to his master's room as he entered the door quietly. Orochimaru was sitting down by his window looking out into the rain as he had a strange smile on his face.

"Orochimaru-sama?"

"Ah Kabuto. It worked... It worked!"

Kabuto frowned as he readjusted his glasses. "What worked, Orochimaru-sama?"

Tossing a small booklet at him, Orochimaru smiled as he looked back out at the rain. "My ultimate experiment."

Kabuto's eyes widened as he looked at the picture. "This is..!"

OooOo

"Uzumaki Naruto of the Jagan. Special features: Black chakra and an unknown sharingan. Considered lethal and highly dangerous. SS Rank Criminal of Konoha, to be killed on sight. Responsible for the entire massacre of the Uchiha family."

Kakashi closed the book as he shook his head in disbelief. "What is this world coming to?"

OooOo

Naruto looked over the hills as his eyes saw through the snow. He was draped in a giant black cloak with his yellow hair barely peeking under the hood. His dull blue eyes searched for light as he felt his body becoming numb. He was alone now. No... He had always been alone. An illusion, now destroyed by these hated eyes, showed him the cruelty of his gift. This curse... This power...

Trudging through the snow, he entered Kiri as he felt his last bond to Konoha break under the harsh wind. Itachi or Madara... It didn't matter anymore. He would find the truth for himself...

...with these evil eyes.

TBC...

A/N: Well, with that, we can now move onto the official storyline. Expect the story flow to change dramatically from here on out. I bet a lot of you weren't expecting that eh? Well, if you were, oh well. This'll probably diverge from the canon storyline, but hey! It's fanfiction! Alright, please read and review and I'll try to answer any questions! Thanks, bye!


	4. Deception

Sorry I'm late. I actually finished this chapter, but scrapped it at the last moment because I didn't like it. This chapter's more focused on developing things for a bigger set-up. Thank you for all your wonderful reviews. I think I was able to reply to about half of them. :) Sorry to the rest, I'll try to get you guys for this chapter.

OH! AND YES! You guys are totally right. Sorry, I fixed the Bingo entry to say that Naruto is a SS class criminal, not a missing-nin. Haha, thanks for catching that everyone.

Chapter 4: Deception

-One week after the Uchiha massacre-

It was a nice, calm night in Konoha. Despite the towering pillar of black fire overshadowing the village, things had settled down. The Hokage was doing his routine paperwork and the ninja of the village were already growing accustomed to not having the Uchiha police force around. Yes, in times of turmoil, a ninja village needed to be able to adapt. However, the tranquil peace that had settled into the Hokage's office that night would soon be disrupted, as an urgent messenger suddenly broke into the Hokage's office with all the force of a tempest coming in with him.

"HOKAGE-SAMA! UCHIHA SASUKE HAS STARTED TO SHOW SIGNS OF CONSCIOUSNESS!" The Chuunin messenger panted heavily as he gripped the side of his ribs with one hand.

The Hokage's head flew up from his work as he shoved everything aside and immediately began walking towards the hospital. "Direct me towards young Sasuke's room."

Surprised at the speed with which the venerable old leader had reacted, the messenger looked stupidly at the Hokage before rushing forward to lead the way. "Hai!"

OooOo

Sasuke jerked up from his bed as he felt his muscles scream from having been in an atrophic state for so long. Opening his eyes widely, his eyes caught several blurry figures standing in front of him. Closing his eyes and concentrating, he opened them again as his retinas finally got used to the light. In front of him were several ninja and the Hokage—a surprise in itself. Looking around, an irrational thought, no doubt a product of just regaining consciousness, made him expect his brother to be in the crowd, but he quickly realized the folly of such a thought.

Clearing his throat, the Hokage spoke first. "Sasuke-kun, do you remember anything that happened?"

Sasuke seemingly ignored the man's question as he looked out the window. It was already nighttime.

Keeping his eyes affixed on a rusty old lamp post outside of his window, he quietly spoke. "How long was I out for, Hokage-sama."

The Hokage leaned back into his chair. "Seven days."

Sasuke whipped his head towards him as he felt his muscles groan with protest. "Seven days! Did you catch him? Did you kill him yet?!"

The Hokage and all the ninja in the room visibly tensed as they looked at him cautiously. "Exactly...who are you referring to." Pausing a bit, the Hokage's voice shrank as he felt his courage start to fail him. "Are you talking about Naruto?"

Sasuke stopped as he looked at the Hokage in puzzlement. "Naruto? I meant my brother, or rather, the man who was my brother. That bastard—Itachi!"

The ninja froze as the Hokage felt his heart flutter in brief hope. However, his happiness was placated as his role as the leader of the village overtook him. "Itachi? Are you saying that Itachi was the one responsible for the Uchiha massacre?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed dangerously as his voice took on a sharpened edge. "Yes. That murderer even killed our own parents in front of me. After that, he used some doujutsu, causing me to relive..."

Images of the townspeople screaming in pain flashed into his mind as he saw his aunt, uncle, friends, and family all die under his brother's sword. A young girl, begging for her mother's life was silenced by the cold steel. Each scream and spray of blood tore his own, fragile heart to pieces. Eyes widening, Sasuke grabbed his head as he tried to force the images out of his mind.

The other ninja in the room, including the Hokage, suddenly stood up in fear that the boy would revert back to his comatose condition. Taking a cautious step forward, the Hokage lightly placed his hand on the boy's shoulder. The effect was immediate. Sasuke's erratic breathing became normal again as he felt his body's parasympathetic nervous system kick in and relax his taut muscles. Having calmed him down, the Hokage went back to his chair and looked at Sasuke carefully for any other signs of distress.

One of the ninja in the room, unaffected by the whole ordeal, turned to the Hokage as he raised his voice. "Sir, it might be the demon-"

A glare from the Hokage made him pause.

"I mean, the boy known as Naruto under disguise."

Sasuke looked up at the man in confusion as he turned to the Hokage. "Why do you guys keep bringing up Naruto? Was he involved in the massacre too?" A dark fear suddenly gripped his insides as he wondered about the fate of his blond rival. It wasn't like they were best friends, but it was incredibly difficult not to be fond of said blond after meeting him. Moreover, Sasuke and he had developed an understanding and they had learned a lot from each other. At that point, he didn't know how he would be able to forgive himself if Itachi had somehow involved Naruto too.

The Hokage thought for a second before sighing. If anyone had the right to know, it was the sole survivor of the Uchiha clan.

"Listen carefully Sasuke-kun. What I'm about to tell you must not leave this room. Approximately seven days ago, Uchiha Shisui's house was set on fire by Naruto, and about twenty ANBU were murdered by him. We have no direct evidence that Naruto was the one to massacre the entire village, but our men tell us that he had the sharingan. At the moment, we believe that Naruto stole the sharingan from Uchiha Shisui and-"

"That's bullshit!"

The Hokage paused as he saw Sasuke glare at them angrily.

"It's true, I never would have believed that my own brother would have been capable of doing such a thing, but I know that Naruto would never have hurt Shisui-san, let alone kill him! They were closer brothers than Itachi and I ever were. This has to be a plan set by Itachi. The Naruto I know, as strong as he is, would never betray anyone he cares about. Even if he did do something bad, he was probably tricked by that man! Can't you see you're falling for his plan?!"

The Hokage became still as he felt his heart reach out to the boy. He desperately wanted to believe that Naruto was blameless, that he could still be the hero he was meant to be. But cold logic proved otherwise. Naruto had, regardless of any set-up, killed twenty Konoha nin and had run away. Though he was not a ninja, his time as a private student of Itachi and Shisui had made him dangerous. Either way, Naruto was a weapon—though it pained him to think of him as that—Konoha had unleashed.

"I see. We do not have any evidence supporting your ideas-"

"It's the truth!"

The Hokage cleared his throat. "But we will continue to investigate it. And remember, anything we discussed will never leave this room. Rest now, and the council will call you after you have healed to ask you some more questions."

The Hokage and all the ninja left the room, leaving Sasuke alone with his thoughts.

_How many more lives will you ruin? It's over—our bond has broken and has become my new path. For myself, our family, our friends, and Naruto, I will kill you with my own hands... as an avenger._

OooOo

Hinata growled to herself as she threw her shirt at the laundry basket. Pulling on her sleeping robes, she angrily looked at the black coat hanging precariously over her bed before shoving her head into her pillow. She had waited all day for that stupid blond boy to show up. The audacity! Frowning, she closed her eyes as she relaxed her fists. Anger soon faded as her true feelings emerged. Rejection and loneliness were not good feelings. Not knowing what to think, she flipped around and pulled the covers up to her chin.

"Baka gaki." (Stupid brat)

OooOo

Naruto walked around town as his eyes looked around in slight wonder. It was so different from Konoha here, or rather, the people were different. Everyone seemed focused on their own tasks and the air had a chilly feel to it. The fishermen all had scarred and rough faces, their muscular arms proof of their hard work. The children, instead of playing with each other, were throwing kunai at the carcass of a pig. Everyone kept to themselves and showed total dedication to their work.

Closing his eyes, he took in the salty atmosphere as he felt his body shiver from the new feeling. It was a strange sort of peace—the fact that no one was looking at him. No glares, no attention, no...nothing. Here, he was just a passing existence that held no meaning. His peace was short lived however, as a few shouts suddenly came from his left. Twitching an eyebrow, he turned towards the commotion and activated his sharingan. Though it was only level one, it still helped him take in observations with much more clarity.

There appeared to be three boys and a girl with one of the boys hiding behind the latter. He hadn't had much interaction with children his age, but he could tell that the dispute was about to escalate into a fight soon.

_Well, it's none of my business anyways. _However, despite his thoughts, his feet seemed compelled to move him towards the dispute.

"Stop it! You know the academy forbids you to pick on weaklings!"

Naruto smirked a little as he heard that the boy behind the girl mumble a little about being called a weakling by his savior.

"Ehhh? So you're going to defend this kid? He's the one that's at fault. He should have known that you don't get in Hira-sama's way. You said your name was Natsumi? Well, in case you didn't know, I'm the number one ninja at the academy! "

The girl known as Natsumi glared at them. "Well, that's still no excuse to beat on weaklings idiot."

A third boy then spoke up as he pulled a kunai out of his pocket. "Well, why don't we decide this now. Since you're more like a boy than a girl anyway, let's have a fight." Looking to the other boy next to him, he grinned. "I'll take care of her, Hira. You just make sure you teach that guy a lesson after."

At this point, Naruto turned away as he lost interest. If they were going to continue to be loud, he would just find a quieter place elsewhere. The voices behind him were eventually drowned by the distance and the sea, and he finally found a nice little bench in front of a shoe selling shop to sit on. Taking off his hood, he let the sea breeze claim his hair as his golden locks swayed. Closing his eyes, he let his chakra move around inside his body as he tried to make sense of what had happened last week. The last seven days had left him no time to think since he had been busy trying to survive the cold winter dunes of Kiri's borders. Unfortunately, he had only a black overcoat and even his traditional shinobi garb was slightly tattered. That meant that he had to use more chakra to keep his body at an acceptable range.

Leaning back, he placed a hand over his right eye before sighing. He understood that someway or another, he had obtained a strange Sharingan known as the Mangekyou. He had wanted to ask the Kyuubi about it, but the demon fox had turned incredibly silent the moment they had left Konoha. He knew that they were powerful though. The illusion Itachi had put on him was countered. And that black fire... But these eyes seemed more like a curse than a gift. Every time he saw those crimson eyes, he thought of Shisui, Itachi, and that man, Madara. It reminded him of betrayal, of happiness, of murder...

Shaking his head, he decided to go for a walk in the village to clear his thoughts. From what he had learned from Shisui, Kiri was continuously shrouded with mist from the nearby seas and ocean. Known as having some of the most vicious ninja, they were a small village overall that had only survived due to their ferocity and courage. Notorious of them all were the seven swordsman, each thought to possess the powers of demons themselves. The academy trained future ninja at a young age, ranging from six to eight. Overall, they followed a strict and severe policy. Of course, such a policy was needed for survival.

Walking down a myriad of bridges to abate some boredom, Naruto stopped in front of a large building that stood as the Ninja Academy. Obviously, the funds of the village went towards the said institution. Built from steel frame and reinforced with refined metal and plaster, the building towered well above the rest of the village and shot up even higher than the Mizukage tower. Feeling a sense of awe fill his being, he was about to step inside the courtyard of the school when he suddenly heard some crying from his left. Curious, he stepped towards the noise and found the girl and boy from before, the latter sniffling like mad with the girl condoling him.

"Sh... It's okay Osawari. You just need to pretend that there's no pain."

Naruto watched silently as he saw the young boy nurse a bruised cheek. In his opinion, the girl looked way worse as she had several cuts, no doubt from the kunai that the boy had been sporting earlier, on her arms. And from the way she seethed every time she moved her torso, it was obvious that she had sustained a serious injury to her ribs.

The girl suddenly turned though, with surprise celerity, and positioned her body in a fighting position.

"Who are you!"

Naruto looked at them apathetically as he pulled off his hood. "No one. I just heard some noise and wondered what it was. Forgive me, I'll take my leave now."

Turning to go, he suddenly stopped though as he heard the boy begin to cry again. Sighing, he stepped over to the child and looked him fiercely in the eye. The girl simply sat in silent stupor as she looked between the two.

"Listen kid. Crying won't get you anywhere. You're training to be a ninja aren't you? Well in battle, there are things much worse than a simple bruise on your cheek. You'll wish for death sometimes and find that even that will escape you. Every time you sleep, you'll feel the psychological agony of death floating around you. In time, you may lose a finger, an arm, a leg, or even your heart. So grow up now while you still can."

The boy stared at Naruto in shock and slight admiration as he felt his runny nose go. Taking a slight breather, Naruto stood up as he closed his eyes. It was not like him to get so riled up. Calming himself, he decided to be at least a little cordial.

"So, who are you guys?"

The spiky haired brown haired boy eagerly answered first as he raised his hand. "I'm Sasaki Osawari. I want to be a cool ninja like one of the seven swordsman, Aniki!" (Older brother)

Naruto raised his eyebrow at the tone of respect before looking at the long black haired girl.

"My name's Kojiro Natsumi. I've been Osawari's friend since birth. This coward doesn't like to fight, but he's actually not that bad if he becomes serious. But besides that, who are you? I thought you were a ghost before, but now that I see you up close, you just seem like a sun-deprived child. You don't look that old to me, yet something about you..."

Naruto ran a hand through his hair before sighing. My age and name are of no concern to you. I merely heard you two and fell victim to curiosity.

Both Natsumi and Osawari pouted as they frowned. "Ehhh? That's not nice!"

Naruto mentally swore. It was just his luck to run into an admiring crybaby and a tomboy. Shaking his head, he looked at the two one more time. "Well, what are your ages?"

The boy answered eagerly. "We're both twelve, and we'll be graduating this year."

Naruto resisted the urge to slap himself in the head. These kids were about to graduate? Wasn't Kiri supposed to have the toughest ninja curriculum of all the ninja villages? Letting out a low breath of air, he sighed as he shook his head. He guessed that he could at least give his surname and age to them.

"My name's Naruto..."

The two kids nodded eagerly as they urged him on.

"...and I'm eight."

OooOo

"Haku, do you feel that presence?"

The young child nodded as she looked up at her caretaker. "Yes. However, it is non-hostile and moving with two weaker chakras. I will go and scout out this possible threat."

Zabuza smirked as he patted her head. "Good boy."

Haku smiled as she placed her Hunter nin mask on. Boy or girl, it didn't matter to her. She was Zabuza's weapon and would protect him until she died. Gender made no difference. Tying back her sash, she made some seals with her left hand as the wind slowly revolved around her. And then, as a leaf fell slowly from a nearby tree, she disappeared.

OooOo

"Hey, why are you guys following me?"

Naruto looked back at the two as he walked at an increasingly fast pace.

"We don't have anything else to do." Came Osawari's happy reply.

Naruto sighed as he felt his annoyance slowly ebb away. It was nostalgic of his time with Shisui and... Shaking his head, he pushed those thoughts out of his head as he clenched his fists.

"You know... I'm a killer."

The girl and boy looked at him seriously for a second before bursting into laughter. "But but but you're eight!!" Naruto glared icily at them as a cold wind suddenly blew from him to the rest of the village. Store owners suddenly shivered as they looked up at the sky for signs of snow.

Speaking harshly and sarcastically, Naruto's voice became as guttural as possible for an eight year old. "And how is that relevant?"

Osawari and Natsumi looked at each other for a second before bursting into another set of laughter. Apparently, icy demeanors had no effect on them.

"Ahhh, you're funny Aniki!"

Naruto's eyebrow twitched with annoyance as he repeated the name. "Aniki?"

The boy smiled as he wrapped an arm around Naruto's neck. The blond's first impulse was to quickly use his sword to cut off said arm, but his mental control reigned supreme.

"Yeah, Aniki! Despite your age, you seem kinda smart!"

Naruto groaned as he continued to walk forward. He preferred the crybaby Osawari over the happy go lucky one.

From the bushes, Haku watched with fascination as she took notes. The blond boy was obviously skilled; his gait and body posture told her volumes and his eyes had been constantly searching the area for any threats ever since she had started watching him. However, her main skills were observation and reconnaissance—even some of the greatest ninjas weren't able to pinpoint her exact location. Watching carefully for a few more minutes, she frowned as a strange beacon kept going off in her head. It was almost as if she had seen him before. But for some reason, she just couldn't remember exactly where she had seen that blond hair and light blue eyes.

"May I ask what you are doing, Hunter-san?"

Haku suddenly turned as she pulled out several senbon needles in reflex. She had been detected?! "How...?" Shifting her eyes, she saw the blond still walking down the avenue with the boy and girl. "Bunshin?"

Naruto stood in front of her on a thin branch, just four feet away from her, with his eyes watching her every move. "I suggest you explain what you were doing."

Haku regained composure as she stood up straight. With slight satisfaction, she noticed that she was a few inches taller than him. "We felt a large chakra in this area and I was sent to investigate. What is your name and business in Kiri."

Naruto frowned as he tried to see her eyes to tell if she were speaking the truth. Trying to open up an opportunity, he replied cooly. "My name is of no importance. I am simply a wanderer."

Haku smiled at his taunt as she crossed her arms. "A wanderer at such an age? You must be at most eight years old."

Naruto, in turn, smirked as he too crossed his arms. "The same goes for you, hunter-san. From your voice and height, I'd say you were about my age."

Haku felt her muscles tense as she continued to try and remember where she had seen that face. That pallid complexion and sorrowful blue eyes...

"Well, if you won't talk, I guess this conversation's over. Turning to leave, he was about to dismiss himself when Haku suddenly stopped him."

"You... I've seen you before. Though I can't exactly..." Haku's eyes widened as she suddenly recalled his face in the bingo book. "You're that new addition, Naruto of the Jagan!"

Naruto's eyes shifted to curiosity as he sensed the Hunter nin's chakra climb. "What do you mean, 'of the Jagan'? And I'm in the bingo book?"

Haku gulped as she decided for a tactical retreat. Alone, she probably wouldn't be able to face such a threat. She needed to report this to Zabuza-sama as soon as possible to-"

**Mangekyou: Fuben Maboroshi (Mangekyou: Evil Vision)**

Haku paused in her speech as she suddenly felt a piece of her mind rustle. It was a foreign feeling that left her bewildered for a few seconds. Regaining her thought process, she glared at him while making some handseals in preparation.

"What did you just do?" She bit back her next sentence though as her heart began to race with fear. Those eyes... Cold and merciless, they were more like a demon's than anything else. She began to pant with exhaustion as she tried to look away from him, but found that she was held in place by its mysterious glow instead. Was this...the Jagan?

Two crosses of black in a red backdrop with a multiple seals surrounding them in a perfect circle stared back at her as the boy frowned. With the sharp contrast of his crimson eyes and pale skin, he looked more like an akuma now. "I simply looked into your memories. You've been lying to me, Hunter-san. You actually follow a missing-nin, Zabuza I believe."

Brought out of her stupor by her mentor's name, she bit on her lip to regain some control and raised her chakra to dangerous heights. "If you try to hurt him..."

Naruto shook his head as he suddenly appeared behind her. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he squeezed a pressure point, causing her to unconsciously relax."

"It wouldn't do for you to attract attention since we're both criminals."

Haku smiled as she stood upright. "Indeed, you are correct. However, it seems my grip slipped and I missed my chance to interrogate you further."

Naruto frowned as he finally noticed the senbon lodged deep in his shoulder. This ninja was strong, despite being so young.

"Although, I'm surprised that you haven't disappeared right away." Taking off her mask, she placed it on her hip as she stepped a couple of feet back. "You must have plenty of chakra to spare if your clones are able to sustain injury for that long."

Naruto showed a shadow of a smile on his face as he too stepped away to a nearby tree branch. "I see. I learned much from you. Thank you Hunter-san, you have been most helpful. I mean you and your master no harm, so please let me be. Otherwise..."

Naruto's eyes suddenly shifted into the normal sharingan, though it only had one tomoe in each. "I'll have to take care care of you." With that extra use of chakra, the clone finally dispersed in a plume of smoke, leaving Haku alone on the tree top. Taking a slight breather from the whole ordeal, she focused her chakra as she sped towards Zabuza. She needed to tell him of this immediately."

OooOo

Naruto frowned as all the information that the clone had learned came into his mind. So he was a SS Class criminal? It would be troublesome but...

Continuing to ignore Osawari and Natsumi's continuous babble, he felt the lower ends of his mind smile sinisterly. _Let them come... _

OooOo

"We will retreat for now. You are not as strong as I want you to be yet, and I don't want to risk losing my newest weapon."

Haku bowed as Zabuza began walking away. "We will leave Kiri once again and come after this...Naruto figure once you become stronger than me. At that time, we will collect his bounty and I will achieve my dream."

Haku nodded as she picked up their items and ran after him. Taking a short look back, she smiled for a brief second before picking up the pace.

OooOo

Naruto looked up at the sky as he felt the moon and stars watch him with weary eyes. It seemed as though even the celestial beings feared him. Shifting his head to the side, he watched the ocean with a strange sense of peace. That annoying girl and annoying boy had finally gone home, leaving him to relax under the night's sky on the docks. Raising his left hand up towards the moon, he frowned as he saw a long black tattoo running from the middle of his shoulder up to his right clavicle.

_That wasn't there before..._

Looking at it carefully, he noted with slight interest that it was shaped like a bird with a sword coming out of its mouth. Activating his sharingan to try and detect any abnormalities, he noticed a strange aura surrounding it. Taking a deep breath, he stood up and sent an immense amount of chakra to his eyes, forming the Mangekyou.

Analyzing the tattoo with his new eyes, the result was almost spontaneous. The black tattoo's aura suddenly flared to life as a black flame suddenly enveloped his entire figure. Screaming in pain, he felt his skin peel, repair itself, and peel again as the crosses in his eyes became circles due to their accelerated rotation.

And then, the black fire suddenly disappeared from his body as he fell into unconsciousness, missing the two voices calling out to him from the background.

OooOo

"_Where am I? The last thing I remember was a black flame covering me and..."_

Naruto softly groaned as he tried to move his body up. The surface he had been sleeping on was surprisingly soft. Looking around, he tried to get into a more defensive position as he noted that he was sleeping in a home. Judging from the multiple cup ramen and littered trash bags, he realized that it was most likely a man's home. Standing up despite his body's protests, he calmly sent chakra to his eyes to dilate his pupils. Taking in more light, the dark room became as bright as day, allowing him to maneuver through the trash filled halls and step into a room that had a chakra presence in it. Realizing that his sword and other weapons were absent from his person, he clenched his fists as he placed his hand on the door. Turning the door knob, he ran inside and grabbed a nearby pole. Flashing over to the person who was laying on the bed, he pointed it at his throat and was about to stab it through his jugular when he suddenly paused. It was the boy from before—the crybaby/annoying one. What was his name...

"AGHH!!" Naruto looked down at the now awake Osawari who was currently staring up at Naruto in fear. "What the hell are you doing? Oh my god, I was about to wet my pants..."

Naruto sighed as he walked towards what he supposed to be the light switch and turned it on.

"Why am I here?"

Osawari rubbed his eyes as he pointed outside. "Well, after we left you alone, Natsumi and I wanted to see what you would do. So we came back to find you. But you suddenly collapsed on the pier so we brought you to my house. It sure beats sleeping outside, right?"

Naruto nodded stiffly as he felt his body relax a little. "I see... And you live alone?"

Osawari grinned. "Well, I have a dad. My mom passed away a couple years ago. My dad's out on a long term mission now though. He hasn't been here for over three years."

Naruto refrained from calling it a case of abandonment and simply nodded in fake sympathy. He was about to give a word of thanks for providing some shelter though, when he suddenly felt a multitude of chakras flare a fair distance away from the house.

"Osawari... You shouldn't have brought me in here."

"Eh, it's fine. Natsumi helped me carry you, so it was no big deal."

Naruto forgot himself as he quickly turned to Osawari. "You mean... That girl's in here too?"

Osawari nodded as he pointed outside. "In the opposite room. She was too tired to go back home so she just crashed here."

Naruto swore as he felt the group of chakra moving faster towards the house. How did they find him? Paling, he suddenly remembered his little incident with the tattoo. At that moment, he had unleashed an excessive amount of chakra in the form of his black flames. Anyone knowing what to search for would have felt it miles aways. Clenching his fists until they turned white, he barked at Osawari. "Where are my weapons? I need to leave immediately!"

Osawari scratched his head as he looked around. "Umm.. They should be in your room. But why do you have to leave right now? Do you need to go to the bathroom?" With a slight pause of hesitation, he then added. "With your weapons?"

Naruto glared at him before lowering his voice. "I am a SS Class ranked criminal from the Hidden village of Konoha. At this very moment, there are at least seven high level ANBU coming after me. At my present state, I would have a hard time fending off just five of them. I need to leave now to avoid bringing you and that girl into the fight."

Osawari laughed as he patted Naruto's shoulder. "Ahhh... Continuing with the jokes Aniki? Hahaha, you're too much!"

Naruto stared at Osawari with cold, unrelenting eyes, before turning to go to his room. "Regardless of what you wish to believe, this is where we part. Pausing for a brief second, he bit his lip. "Thank you for before." With that, he quickly sprinted to his room to equip his items.

Seeing the blond disappear into the corridor, Osawari ran into Natsumi's room and quickly turned on the lights.

"Natsumi, Naruto's leaving right now. He says that there are ninja after him."

Natsumi yawned as she rubbed her eyebrows. "Wha? Did he have a bad dream or something?"

Osawari grew serious as his voice became low. "No. But there's something definitely coming. This may cause some deviations."

Hearing her friend turn serious, she nodded. "I see." Grabbing his shoulder, she looked him in the eye. "If things get dangerous, don't just rely on _it. _Even if you'll end up losing the target."

Osawari nodded gravely as he ran to Naruto's room. Sighing, Natsumi clipped up her hair before jumping out of the room's window. Concentrating, she felt seven extremely strong chakras rush towards their position.

_We should have figured that there would be other people after him. Either way, we won't let them have him, even if the opponents are ANBU. _

Jumping down from the roof, she ran towards her house with quick bursts of chakra. However, if someone had been paying close attention, they would have noticed that the wounds from the day before had already disappeared.

OooOo

Naruto finished strapping his chokuto horizontally to his lumbar region and threw his black cloak around his body. Walking briskly out the door into the open night sky, he was suddenly met by Osawari's smiling face.

"What do you want?"

Osawari continued to smile as he flexed his arms. "So, how many should I take on?"

Naruto groaned in annoyance as he felt the ANBU's presence become imminent. "I don't have time for your jokes. Hurry up and hide in your house. This is no time for bravado."

Osawari nodded as he looked to the trees. "Ah... I know. But Aniki, you don't need to face this alone."

Naruto looked at him incredulously. "Are you telling me that you're going to fight?"

Osawari smiled as he shook his head. "Of course...not! I'm going to go hide and root for you in the background!"

Naruto resisted the urge to slap himself in the head for the umpteenth time as he drew his sword. "I don't have time for this." Ignoring his muscle pain and chakra exhaustion, Naruto pulled his cloak over his head and flew into the trees.

Osawari stood there in silence, looking at the area where Naruto had gone into. If he was right, the fight would take place about three miles from here in the middle of the forest. Flipping out a bingo book, Osawari grinned as he placed a large check mark next to Naruto's picture. It was finally time to put this plan into action. After all this time, he would finally...

OooOo

"Team Alpha, are you in the precinct?"

"Roger. The structure is in view. Orders?"

The ANBU captain frowned as he hung back on a tall bamboo tree. He had taken three squads with him for a routine check on Konoha borders when they had all felt the flare from the Kyuubi's chakra. As veterans of the attack eight years ago, all of them had immediately recognized the unique, evil feel of the power and had realized at once that the Jinchuuriki was nearby. Sending a messenger to Konoha to report their findings, he had taken the liberty to go after the boy first to make sure that his escape was not an option. But even with the highly trained jounin around him, he couldn't help but feel that something was horribly wrong. Speaking softly into his head set, he quickly whispered again.

"Team Alpha, Team Beta, are you in position."

"Hai, Team Alpha is in position."

"Hai, Team Beta is..."

The Captain immediately frowned as he listened for more. Light static shot into his ear. Biting his lip, the ANBU leader was about to send out his first team when another stream of static entered his other ear.

"Team Alpha?" Hearing no response, the Captain swore before motioning to the men beside him. "The target is SS ranked. He is to be brought in alive for interrogation. Use any means necessary to bring him in."

"Hai!"

Following normal ANBU procedure, all of them vanished into their respective scouting spots and waited for even the slightest movement.

Down below, disguised as a cracked rock via a henge and a clone, Naruto waited patiently as he used his ears to spot their positions. The first two teams had been a laugh. Talking that loudly was like signing your death warrant. In a forest like this, position and secrecy was everything. Making sure to keep his chakra low, Naruto continued to wait. It was a game of patience. Since he didn't have the energy to call upon the Mangekyou at the moment, he needed to make do with his basic skills. Sadly, as he only specialized in speed and secrecy, he wouldn't have stood any chance against the ANBU in a full frontal battle. Waiting for another thirty minutes, Naruto was about to send out a feint to draw out a ninja when he suddenly felt a presence lightly flicker just thirty meters away from him. Smiling, he immediately undid his henge and zipped towards the signal faster than a flying kunai. In a matter of seconds, his sword cut through the man's neck, causing his sharingan to activate unconsciously from the act. However, he immediately noticed that something was wrong, as his target suddenly turned to stone and fell from the tree branch. The heavy impact immediately uncovered his presence, causing Naruto to swear before trying to run away. He was too late though, as he felt three chakra surround him in a fifteen meter radius. He had been careless. Cursing his impatience, Naruto's eyes returned to their steely blue as he took of his hood. His blond hair seemed to bathe in the moonlight, making him seem ethereal. If the ANBU had not been so focused on taking down their target, they would have almost believed the boy to be some sort of spectral being. More dead than living, he seemed to embody a transition of sorts. However, this was not a routine mission, and this boy was definitely not one to underestimate.

Naruto continued to look between the three men as he felt his left arm begin to twitch uncontrollably. Taking a brief look down, he was shocked to find the tattoo again, this time with the sword entering the bird's mouth. Puzzled, he tried to examine it closer but had to immediately snap his head back up as he felt a change in the wind.

Placing his sword in front of him, he deflected the shuriken as he summoned six clones with his other hand. He didn't have that much chakra left in him, but it was still enough to summon at least another fifty clones before completely running out. Sheathing his sword, he breathed in deeply as he saw two of the ANBU come at him from his peripheral vision. Jumping up, he dismissed his clones, thus causing a massive smoke screen, and blew a giant fireball into the hazy clearing. Throwing several kunai in with explosive tags attached to them, he then jumped away as the tree he had been standing on splintered into several thousand pieces. Turning to run, his face was suddenly smashed into the tree though as a gloved hand grinded the entirety of his head into the splintery wood. Naruto quickly recovered as he pulled out his sword and tried to swipe the man. The attacker simply blocked the blond's attack with his metal forearm protector before stabbing his ANBU sword into the boy's shoulder. Growling in pain, Naruto felt his arm grow limp as he tried to take a peek at the man through the ANBU's fingers.

"Give up Uzumaki Naruto of the Jagan. You are outclassed. Return to me with Konoha. There you will await your trials until further notice. You will not kill another as long as I'm here."

Naruto groaned as he moved his other arm to attack the man. With surprising speed, the man took Naruto's sword and slammed it into his other shoulder, effectively pinning the boy against the tree trunk. Stepping back, the ANBU's hand glowed with green chakra.

Using his sharingan, he recognized it as a medical technique in which it severed the target's nerves. Struggling even harder against his bonds, the swords started to budge slightly. But even as he moved forward little by little, a small feeling of fear began to creep into his mind. Was it over already? Was his purpose already finished? Staring at the oncoming man, Naruto vanquished the thoughts from his head and relinquished the sharingan. He didn't want to resort to this since it would make him mostly useless for a good time after, but...

Taking a deep breath, he gathered the rest of his chakra and then some at an attempt to summon the Mangekyou. However, in doing so, a sudden pain struck him in the back of his head as his mind began spinning. Focusing harder, he tried once again to call upon the demonic eyes, but instead ended up with a searing pain on his arm. Looking down, he became surprised as the tattoo from before glowed vibrantly. With the man's attack imminent, Naruto coldly stared at the incoming attack without fear.

"AGHHHHHHH!" The sudden scream, brutish and full of anguish, had come not from Naruto or the ANBU, but instead from underneath them. Pausing in his attack, the ANBU forgot about his target as he looked over to check what had made the sound. Even Naruto forgot his problems as he turned his head to the side with curiosity.

Staggering towards the clearing, one of the ANBU from before walked into the clearing with a bloody stump where his right arm should have been. Taking a few steps forward, the ANBU then collapsed onto his knees before falling apart, literally. The man's body had split into four neat pieces, each part contributing to a bloody cross on the forest floor.

Naruto looked back at his attacker as he saw the ANBU stare dumbly at the scene. In sheer trauma, the ANBU shook with anger. Jumping down to his comrade's body, he rested a hand on one of the pieces before standing up solemnly.

"Who did that? In the name of the Hokage, I will end your life for your act."

Naruto groaned as he took the time to pull out both blades and sheath his own sword into his scabbard. Throwing away the other sword, he felt the Kyuubi heal the puncture wounds as he felt an oncoming presence.

Emerging from the forest where the ANBU had stumbled out of, Osawari and Natsumi walked out. One look at Natsumi's blood covered figure said everything. At her side was a naginata with the blade of the long weapon bathed in crimson blood.

Growling, the ANBU stared at the two before pulling out a second sword. "You two... Who are you?"

Osawari stepped forward as he waved to Naruto. "Oii! Aniki! Sorry we're late! Natsumi wanted to pack our stuff first. I tried to help you, but the man was too strong. Thankfully, Natsumi arrived just in time."

Biting back a globule of blood, Naruto jumped down as he slowly walked towards them. "What are you two doing here? And more than that..." Staring at Natsumi's blood bathed figure, he narrowed his eyes. "What are you?"

Natsumi smiled as she licked the blood off her arm. Leaning against her weapon, she smiled, showing two feline-like canines resting on her bottom lip. "Sorry we didn't mention this before Naruto. But we're professional bounty hunters. I'm known as Neko-chan and Osawari's... Well, he doesn't have a code name since I'm the one that does all the killing."

Naruto looked between the two in disbelief as he continued to try and stand up straight. "So you two lied about attending the Academy?"

Osawari nodded as he stepped forward. "Yes, we needed you to come to us to avoid suspicion. But in the end, you really were funny!" Turning towards the ANBU captain, the boy happily smiled as he stepped forward. "Sorry ANBU-san. I can't let you have this target. I need him for something. Oh, and about your other men, we had to erase them."

The ANBU captain cursed as he clenched his fists. These damn children had slaughtered all of his men? This was impossible. It was supposed to be an easy catch mission. All of them were demons. Before, he had thought the Kyuubi jinchuuriki to have just been misunderstood, even giving him anonymous presents on the boy's birthday to try and make up for his village's heartless attacks. Clenching his fists in anger, the man shook his head as he took a brief glimpse at Naruto. He had been wrong after all and his team had been right; the boy was a demon. Swearing to avenge his comrade's lives, he looked back at the smiling white haired youth and charged after him in an attempt to cleave his head. He was shocked to find his sword blocked by the girl's naginata instead though. Looking at the two in fear, he simply watched as the boy walked up to him.

"Sorry ossan. I didn't want to resort to this, but he's been wanting to get out ever since you guys came."

Naruto looked at them in puzzlement as he leaned against a nearby tree for support.

Osawari bent his head down as shadows cast over his eyes. Natsumi looked at him in concern but quickly turned her attention towards the ANBU after finding out that her opponent had chosen to leap back.

"Natsumi. I'll take care of this."

Natsumi nodded as the naginata disappeared in a plume of smoke. Looking over to Naruto, she yelled over to him. "Take a good look at this Naruto. This is the reason why I usually fight and he stays in the sidelines. It's actually a lot cleaner."

A plume of gray chakra suddenly erupted as Oswari's head snapped up, revealing glowing gray eyes. _**"About time you let me out Osawari!"**_

Naruto gripped the tree for support as he felt a wave of nostalgia wash over him. The chakra was familiar.

"_**Ch... Is this guy my opponent? I thought I told you to feed me strong ones! This guy's mind is too weak. Did you already break him mentally? Geez... Next time, let me have some of the fun.**_"

The ANBU looked at the boy in puzzlement before shaking his head. He would avenge his comrades. Flying into seals, the man took a deep breath.

**KATON: GOUKAKYU NO JUTSU (Grand fireball technique)**

Naruto eye's widened as he felt an immense chakra come from the boy. It was nothing compared to the demon fox's or the Mangekyou, but regardless...

The battle ended before it started. The ANBU's body, petrified to stone under some unknown force, cracked apart into several pieces as Osawari looked at his handiwork in glee.

**Doton: Ishi Hakachi (Stone graveyard)**

Even as the ANBU's body turned to dust, Osawari stepped over to Naruto, his glowing gray eyes countering Naruto's wary ice blue ones.

Raising his hand as a greeting, Osawari grinned evilly as he revealed fierce canines.

"**Nice to finally meet you sharingan user. I'm this guy's other side, Osawaru. Or maybe it'd be better to refer to me as the Jinchuuriki for the Sanbi."**

TBC...

A/N: Okay, I'm sure some of you are like "WHAAAAAA?" But yeah. Next chapter will definitely be more interesting. In terms of power, Naruto's still the strongest, ranging at around a Kage's level with the Mangekyou. But with his regular skills, he's only about High/Low Jounin. But with the Mangekyou, he'll still be stronger than Osawaru and Natsumi. But then again... Something seems to be wrong with the Mangekyou! Was it simply chakra exhaustion or...

OH! And I'm wondering if I should include romance in this fic. I dunno... SO PLEASE TELL ME! Just give me your usual wonderful review, and then add "No romance" or "Romance" depending on what you want. If it's "no romance", it'll be fine. If it is romance though, I assure you guys that I'll make it something no one's ever done in the fanfiction world before. Or maybe they have... Either way, it'll be fun either way, so please tell me now so I can work on the next chapter! Thanks everyone, and remember, leave a review!


	5. Fury

A/N: Well, all I can say is thanks for the reviews. They really do encourage me to write. Warning, you might have to read this chapter in two sittings. It's probably the longest one I've written. Ever. Also, the ending's a little... Well, it's not for the weak stomached. You've been warned. But now, the moment you've waiting for since you saw this update.

_Vagabond: A person, usually without a permanent home, who wanders from place to place; nomad. _

(Last time on Makaze Mangekyou)

_Even as the ANBU's body turned to dust, Osawari stepped over to Naruto, his glowing gray eyes countering Naruto's wary ice blue ones._

_Raising his hand as a greeting, Osawari grinned evilly as he revealed fierce canines. _

"_**Nice to finally meet you sharingan user. I'm this guy's other side, Osawaru. Or maybe it'd be better to refer to me as the Jinchuuriki for the Sanbi."**_

Chapter 5: Fury

Naruto almost bit his lip in surprise when he heard the boy introduce himself.

Noting his reaction, Osawaru gave a toothy grin and slowly withdrew his hand. _**"Surprised? I see you know what a Jinchuuriki is."**_

Taking a few steps back to open up some distance, Naruto tried to clear his head as he felt his exhaustion weigh upon him with malicious intent. But he needed to get out of this...precarious situation first.

"When you say the Sanbi, you refer to the three tailed turtle. Am I correct?"

Osawaru looked genuinely surprised for a moment before nodding. _**"That's right boy."**_

Naruto narrowed his eyes as he tried to gather some chakra for an emergency defense. He had learned from Itachi that the best defense was anticipation. "Why trick me? What's your plan?" Looking icily between the two, he tensed his muscles as Natsumi stepped forward.

"Don't worry Naruto. If we had wanted to kill you, we would have done so when you stepped into the village. True, you may have the Jagan, but we're professionals."

"Professionals?"

"Yeah, we're bounty hunters." Giving a cat-like grin, she walked over to Osawaru and lightly tapped his head. "Time to go back big guy. Osawari would want to talk to him."

Grumbling, Osawaru took one last look at Naruto with his gray eyes before a black tone penetrated them. The immense chakra he had felt earlier disappeared as Osawaru collapsed to the ground with a smile.

"Oops. I hope no one got hurt too much this time."

Natsumi nodded as she looked over to the pile of dust that had once stood in the form of a ninja. "He used the stone technique to take the leader down. Of course, he was disappointed by the meal, as usual."

"Ahhh... Well, it can't be helped." Looking over to Naruto, Osawaru waved at him to come closer. "I'm sure you're surprised Aniki. What you just saw was my other side."

Naruto quirked an eyebrow as he took a couple steps forward. Even Natsumi had settled down and seemed as she did the day before. Any blood lust the either of them had shown disappeared with the boy's transformation. "What do you mean by, 'other side'?"

Natsumi sighed as she ruffled Osawari's hair and sat down next to him. "Basically, Osawari's had Disassociative Personality Disorder ever since he was young. Interestingly enough, when the Mizukage sealed the Sanbi into Osawari, it was actually sealed inside his split personality, Osawaru. I'm not sure why, but Osawari doesn't seem to carry any effects from the demon, even though it's still his body. Osawaru on the other hand is almost like the demon himself. It's kinda confusing."

Naruto nodded as he digested this new information. "And you? What's your story?"

Natsumi grinned as she leaned back. "I'm just a low level cat demon. Certain circumstances have led to my becoming this guy's guardian. Even though you're such a cute kid, I'm not going to tell you anymore than that." Winking at Naruto, the blond boy understood that she was probably sensitive to the subject.

Osawari turned to her though as his lips started to tremble. "Certain circumstances?"

Natsumi laughed as she slapped him on the back. "Eh, you've grown on me. Either way, I'm stuck with you. Might as well make it fun! Plus, we get to meet fun guys like him!"

Osawari smiled as he nodded. "Well, there it is Aniki! Any questions?"

Naruto shook his head at the whimsical nature of the scene and sighed. "Yes, my original one. What business do you have with me? If it was for the bounty, you could have captured me during my sleep."

Osawari took out a bingo book as he flipped open to the last page. "I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but in the bingo book-"

"It says that I'm an SS rank criminal, called Naruto of the Jagan." Naruto completed for him.

Puzzled at first, Osawari smiled as he tucked his book back into his pocket. "Yeah. But it wasn't the money that interested me. It was your eyes..." Osawari's eyes suddenly glazed over as he looked beyond Naruto, as if some event were playing back in his mind. "It was three years ago. My uncle came by one night and told me that my father had been killed by a man with crimson eyes. Basically, it's a vendetta. But now that I look at you, it's pretty obvious you're not the guy. That is...unless you were super strong at the age of five."

Naruto's eyes suddenly narrowed as his voice hardened with asperity. "You said that there was a man with similar eyes to mine? Did you catch his name?"

Osawari shook his head as he looked away again. "No. All I remember hearing was that my father's eyes had been plucked out just before he died." Clutching the ground with bloodless palms, Osawari tore up a patch of grass and threw it to the side. "My uncle arrived at the scene when it happened. They fought, but eventually the man used some black fire and disappeared. That's another reason why I thought that you might be the person since the bingo book says that you have black chakra."

Naruto closed his eyes as he sat down to rest. It must have been him. Even in Kiri he couldn't escape that man's horrors. But if his uncle had fought him and lived to tell the story...

"Wait. Your uncle fought with him and lived?"

Osawari grinned as he flexed his arms. "Oh yeah! I might not be that strong, but my Uncle used to be the leader of the seven swordsman of the mist. That is, after he ran away to Kumo to study architecture. He's kinda goofy like that."

"Kumo..." Naruto rolled the village's name off of his tongue before nodding. "Your uncle's name?"

Osawari blinked as he suddenly became cautious. "You're not going to go after him to attack him, are you? If you are..."

"No. Rest assured that I am only going to your uncle for information. He might be able to give me more information about these eyes. I give you my word that I will not harm him."

Osawari frowned as he shook his head. "Sorry. I already told you that he's in Kumo. If you really want to find him, he'll find you. But before that, there's a favor I want to ask of you."

Natsumi, who had been silent during the conversation suddenly became interested as she turned her head.

"We want to see the Jagan. It might provide me some clues as to who my father's murderer is."

Naruto closed his eyes as he stood up. "A reasonable request. However, I don't have the chakra to activate such a technique at the moment. But more importantly, I think I know who killed your father. Of course, it's just speculation."

Osawari suddenly leaped up as he ran over to Naruto and put him in a fierce grip. "What? You've seen him before? Who is he?!"

Naruto frowned as he slapped the boy's hands away and straightened his collar. "His name is Uchiha Madara, wielder of the Mangekyou Sharingan. That's also what my "Jagan" is called. However, our eyes are different."

"Different? But don't you both have this 'Mangekyou'?"

"Yes. But that is why I wish to meet your uncle. I have very little knowledge of why I have such eyes. I also do not know much about the man who might have killed your father."

Osawari visibly groaned as he slumped his shoulders. "So basically-"

"But I can show you how he looked."

Osawari's head snapped back up as hope returned to his eyes. "Really? That's all we need! Natsumi, are you ready?"

The girl's blood lust suddenly returned as her eyes shifted into cat-like irises. "Yep."

Naruto looked between the two as he searched for the image of the man in his brain. It wasn't hard, as his face was definitely unforgettable. Taking a deep breath, his form shifted as he transformed into a carbon copy of the man, glowing red eyes included. Immediately, Natsumi's eyes glowed as she began jotting down notes at an ungodly speed. Puzzled, Naruto dismissed the transformation.

Turning to Natsumi, Osawari looked over the notebook and smiled. "You got all the information?"

"Yes, it'll take about seven days for my powers to be able to find him. But I think it'll be okay."

Naruto looked between the two with a mix of surprise and impressment. They were perfect as bounty hunters. A sudden twinge in his head made his eyes droop though, signaling that his reticular activating system was slowly becoming inactive.

"I'm sorry, but if you could please provide lodging..."

Osawari blinked as he smacked his forehead. "Ah! Sorry for being so rude Aniki! You must be exhausted! Natsumi, put him on my back."

With that, Naruto felt the last of his defenses go and fell into blissful unconsciousness.

OooOo

Sasuke took a deep breath as he blew his twentieth fireball that day. This jutsu was his pride and joy, the one thing his father had taught him before his death. Making the seals once again, he was about to unleash another one when he suddenly felt a hand gently clasp his shoulder.

Stopping, the young Uchiha looked up to the sad face of a masked man with a konoha headband covering one eye.

"You shouldn't use your chakra so much. I know it hurts but-"

"It doesn't hurt."

The man looked surprised for a second before Sasuke continued.

"I don't have time to just cry about it. I need to get stronger, to avenge my friends and family. I need the power to change things."

The man looked at him curiously before slowly asking. "To make things right?"

Sasuke looked startled as he thought about it for a few seconds. Turning towards the man, he repeated with a soft smile. "To make things right."

Kakashi smiled as he bent down to look at Sasuke at eye level. Pulling up his headband, Sasuke had to stifle a gasp as he saw the familiar eye of his clan.

"How do you have the-"

"Ah, I'll explain that to you some other time. But for now, are you interested in obtaining power to protect the ones you love?"

Sasuke frowned as he looked back towards the lake. "All the ones I love are dead. At this point, I can only honor their memory by killing their murderer."

Kakashi sighed as he placed his headband back on. "Vengeance is never the answer. You will come to realize that only after it is too late. But perhaps, I can help you overcome it. Come with me Sasuke, my name is Hatake Kakashi. Under the Hokage's orders, I'll be your personal tutor from now on."

Walking away, Sasuke stared after the man's moving figure before looking back at the lake. The ripples on the lake that had been caused by his multiple jutsus were dying down, forming circles and epicircles in perfect kaleidoscopes. Wrenching his eyes away from the beatific sight, he ran after Kakashi with a renewed determination. "You better teach me well Scarecrow-sensei." (Kakashi's name translates to scarecrow)

Kakashi's eye sported a smile as he pulled out an orange book—an item that Sasuke would learn to hate in the coming years. "Well, this will be my first time having such a young student to teach. I'm sure we'll both learn a lot from each other."

"Hai, Scarecrow-sensei."

Kakashi sweat-dropped as he turned to look at his newest student. "Could you please not call me that?"

Smirking, Sasuke walked ahead. "When do we start training, crazy hair-sensei?"

Kakashi groaned as he flipped over to the next page. "I liked scarecrow better, Gaki-kun." (Brat-kun)

OooOo

Madara closed his eyes as he tried to keep his hands from trembling. It was almost time to transfer bodies again. These eyes drained his host's bodies far too quickly. There was that one body, the one he had found under the buried rubble back near Iwa. Yes, that one would have to do for now.

"Madara-sensei."

Looking up, Madara smiled as his student kneeled before him. "What news do you bring, Itachi?"

Itachi kept his head low as he continued speaking with a straight voice. "The one known as 'Pein' refused our invitation. However, the missing nin known as Zetsu seemed genuinely interested in your plan. He is waiting outside right now."

Madara grinned evilly as he nodded. "Good, good. And about the boy, do you have any news on him?"

Itachi shook his head as he stoically replied. "The boy known as Uzumaki Naruto disappeared from Konoha and was proclaimed an SS rank criminal. I have not found his location."

Madara waved his hand as he leaned back in his chair. The cave was a little cold, but it fitted his personality nicely. "Very well. We will see how the boy develops. He has caught my fascination. For now, we will focus on our original goal. After the construction of Akatsuki, we will then turn our attention to the bijuu. At that time, we will meet young Naruto again. But for now, let Zetsu in. I will personally go talk with Pein later."

"Understood."

OooOo

Naruto stood in front of Natsumi and Osawari at the bridge leaving Kiri. After getting a full two days of rest, he had recovered enough energy to be at 90 percent efficiency. They had all packed up their items soon after, deciding to split up at the village's bridge. But before they took their own paths, he needed to fulfill a certain promise.

"Alright. When I form the Mangekyou, be careful not to stare at it too long. I still don't know all the effects of the eyes."

Receiving two eager nods of confirmation, Naruto summoned an ungodly amount of chakra to his eyes and flared the sharingan to life. However, the energy it took was incredibly small. Moreover, it felt different. True, his vision was enhanced, but there was something missing.

"Umm... Aniki. Your eyes are in the normal sharingan. Well, I guess they aren't normal. There are two tomoes in each eye."

Naruto looked startled as he looked at the two. "You're sure? There isn't a cross-like image?"

Natsumi appeared to be disappointed as she shook her head. "Nope. It's just a normal sharingan."

Frowning, Naruto tried to push more chakra into this eyes, but found that it was not possible. Relaxing, he cut the flow of chakra as his eyes returned to their normal blue hue.

_I don't understand... Could it have something to do with the tattoo?_ Thinking back to night he had fought with the ANBU, he had not been able to summon the Mangekyou then also. Of course, at the time he had thought that it was because of chakra exhaustion. Staring at the bird tattoo on his arm, he grimaced as it looked up at him with a teasing gaze.

"I'm sorry. It seems as though I cannot activate the Mangekyou. As for the reason, my ignorance is as great as yours."

Natsumi and Osawari visibly deflated before they shrugged. "Well, as long as I got information about my possible father's killer, I'm happy. Right Natsumi?"

Natsumi grinned as her cat like teeth showed. "Right. Well, I guess we've got to go our separate ways." Walking over to Naruto, she was about to give him a kiss on the cheek but found cold steel against her neck instead.

"Are you trying to poison me?" Naruto asked.

Twitching, Natsumi slammed his head against the pavement and patted her hands. "Geez Naruto. Don't you know what a good luck kiss is?"

Removing his head from the wooden floor, Naruto brushed off the debris as he stored his kunai. "Such a thing is illogical. I have learned that a kiss holds no functional purpose other than to inject poison through senbon hidden in the mouth. However, I apologize for thinking that you were about to poison me, despite the fact that you showed such hospitality. That was also illogical."

Natsumi blinked as she laughed it off. "It's fine! That's what makes you such a cute guy in the first place."

Naruto's eyes registered slight surprise before Natsumi bounded off. "Osawari! Hurry up and say your goodbyes to Naruto-chan! I've got a hot trail!"

Osawari smiled as he went up to Naruto and beamed at him. "Thanks Aniki. You helped us out a lot. If you ever need help, don't be afraid to ask. Next time we meet, let's go get some ramen or something."

Naruto gave off a ghost of a smile as he nodded. "Sure."

Turning, Osawari ran after Natsumi as he waved goodbye. "Make sure you don't die Aniki! I'll hold you to that promise!"

Naruto frowned as he looked after their disappearing figures, gently stroking his chin. _That was a promise? _Shaking his head, he turned to the opposite direction as he pulled out a map. Kiri was a fair distance away from Kumo. He would first need to cut through the small village of Wave and then make his way through Kusa and the mountains bordering the land of snow. After crossing Snow Kingdom, he then had to continue east to reach Kumo. Memorizing the geography, he walked along the road as his thoughts turned towards his current predicament. Hopefully, Osawari's uncle could give him some clues as to what went wrong as well as help him understand the man who had started all of this. Not having the Mangenkyou was a troubling thought. Despite the connotations and memories that came with it, it had already become a part of him. A piece of his persona, he had lost a ballast. But he couldn't let this misfortune weigh upon him now. For the being, he would work on his own strength and find a way to make the regular sharingan as strong as possible. Perhaps after he obtained the third level, the Mangekyou would reappear. Complacent with the thought, he let it go as he hefted his pack more comfortably onto his shoulder. It was filled with cup ramen—a delicacy he had discovered at Osawari's house.

Looking at a nearby tree, he suddenly stopped on the road as he nostalgically remembered Shisui training in the forest near their former training spot. Walking over to the tree, he lightly kicked it, causing hundreds of leaves to fall off and flutter down. Activating his now two tomoe sharingan, he unsheathed his chokuto as he flew through the green debris and sliced each one perfectly down the middle. Finishing, he sheathed the sword as he released the sharingan. The second level was definitely stronger than the first as he was able to not only catch the movements of the leaves, but even slow them down in his mind. Walking back to the road, he decided that the best course of action would be to train on the way. With his resolution for the next year or so in mind, he picked up his pace and left the four hundred half pieces of leaves behind.

OooOo

"This is treacherous! You must not do it!" The Hokage yelled up at the council members in sheer fury.

The majority of the council leered at the Hokage as the eldest one spoke with a sneer firmly planted on his face. The said man was called Danzo, an influential person who usually did not attend the meetings.

"You yourself said that the boy was not to be labeled a missing-nin. As a dangerous ex-citizen of Konoha, is it not fair to notify the people of Fire country at least?"

The Hokage cursed under his breath as he clenched his fists. "But doing this would further isolate the boy and-"

"Do you dare imply that you care for such a monster? The council has deemed these measures to be most proper. Therefore, Uzumaki Naruto will be open for bounty to all citizens in fire country. Moreover, the ANBU squad sent after him has not appeared. We can only assume that they met their ends by the demon's hands. So the bounty shall be increased to one million ryo. That is all."

The Hokage shook with anger as he grabbed his hat and flew back to his office. As Hokage, he only had the power of approving or vetoing laws and proclaiming war. But with a high enough majority, even his vetos were able to be overturned.

_Those fools. Not only does Konoha not have the economic luxury of simply handing off a million ryo, but this act will surely cause the boy to harbor deeper grudges against us. In time, our methods may truly make him into a demon. What fools!_

OooOo

Naruto walked through the small town known as Wave with an interested eye. The country seemed at the lower economic spectrum, but the people seemed happy.

"Haha! You can't even save your own dog? You're so pathetic Inari!"

Naruto groaned with annoyance as he heard the voices permeate his once peaceful air. _A group of boys bullying another? This is almost like deja vu. Better get away from here before I get dragged into another mess._

Turning away from the site, he was about to leave the boys to their own devices when he suddenly heard a splash. Hearing the sounds of drowning, he felt his consciousness get the better of him as he turned to save the stupid kid. However, a large shadow beat him to it as a man dove into water and fished out the boy. Remaining behind the scenes, he observed the boy with a strange twinge in his heart. The other boys had left him, knowing that he couldn't swim. To willingly sentence a child to possible death... Images of him sitting in the playgrounds alone at night while it was raining broke into his mind. Grimacing, he clenched his fists.

Whisking away towards the bullies that had already gone away, he found them soon enough laughing in front of a store while recounting their story to some other kids. Resting on a nearby tree branch, Naruto performed a couple of seals as he lightly landed on the floor. Pressing his hands against the floor, he sent a wave of chakra through the earth that lifted the boys up on giant earth pikes...by their pants.

"WAHHH!" The kids, obviously baffled at the phenomenon, winced as they tried to free themselves from the earth shattering wedgie. "Get us off of here!"

Walking up to them, Naruto narrowed his eyes as he snapped his fingers and demolished the earth pikes.

"Next time, don't pick on weaker people."

Leaving the petrified boys behind, Naruto groaned inwardly as he hopped back to the previous site where the boy had been. Again. These impulses to help such weaklings were proving more and more troublesome. But part of him just couldn't let it go. Part of him saw himself in the oppressed, mirroring his state those many years before he had met...

No, he didn't need to think of such things. Finding a campfire in a small foliage near the lake the boy had almost drowned before, Naruto noticed that the boy was simply unconscious with the large man sitting next to him. Deciding to make his presence known, Naruto walked up to the man and bowed lightly.

"I see you saved the child."

The man smiled brightly as he nodded. "Of course. However, I should have taught those boys a lesson."

Naruto looked away as he avoided eye contact. "I took care of it. But I am happy the boy did not drown. Thank you for your act of kindness." In the back of his mind, Naruto wondered how the man did not look down on him for being a child. Instead, he seemed to regard him as a man. Smiling, he decided that this man was okay for a human.

The man looked at Naruto strangely before asking questioningly. "Do you know this child?"

Turning, Naruto walked away as he waved his hand. "No. I have no relation with him. Please do not tell him about me." Stopping, he paused for a second before adding. "And if you could, please be a guiding figure. It would be... I am sorry. I speak out of line."

The man shook his head. Even with his head turned, Naruto could tell that he was smiling.

"Don't worry. I'll protect him. I'm sure that with a little bit of teaching and care, this boy will become someone who'll be able to protect others." Looking at the campfire, his eyes shined in the brightness as the fishes slowly cooked. "My name's Kaiza. What's your name kid?"

Looking up, he found the boy to be gone already. Confused for a few seconds, he then felt the other boy by his side stirring and turned the fish on the stick.

"Hey kid, looks like you're finally up."

Inari's blank eyes looked at the man next to him as he felt a warm fire surge through his body.

OooOo

Naruto walked through the town as he felt curious eyes on him. Of course, it was natural since he was in full shinobi garb. Not everyone would be as open as the man he had met before. Deciding to be less conspicuous, he ducked into a corner and quickly henge'd his clothes into more civilian like ones and strode out to the street. As long as people didn't try to touch him, they wouldn't realize that the black sweater and pants he was wearing were actually illusions.

A light growl echoed from his stomach as he realized that he was hungry. After being on the road for several days with only a few berries and fruits for food, his stomach seemed to desire something with more substance. Walking along the street, he looked at the many signs in front of the stores. One caught his eyes however, as a large sign said "Help wanted: fast pay." Deciding to take a look since he was in need of being able to purchase commodities anyways, he stepped into the small shop and looked around.

It was a carpenter's shop, with numerous crafted items laid out upon shelves and shelves above them. Moreover, each item was delicately crafted with incredible detailing. Admiring the many figures and appliances, he walked through the maze of wood and even found metal and glass work near the back. Sculptures of tiny animals to bolts and chairs, it seemed as though the owner worked with all types of crafting.

"Why, hello young one. What are you doing there?"

Naruto almost jumped back from surprise at the sudden voice. Someone had actually snuck up on him? Turning around, his eyes met an old man in his eighties with the entirety of his body leaning against a staff.

Remembering his manners, Naruto bowed before replying. "I am sorry. I saw the wanted ad and walked in. The beauty of your items stole my thoughts after that. I apologize for wandering."

The man's eyes twinkled as he stepped closer. He was bald with a long, flowing white beard. A kindly visage, the man held up his hand and nodded. "Here, come with me. If you like these items, you will definitely enjoy this."

Naruto hesitantly took the man's hand before following him to the very back of the store. On the way, he looked upon countless instruments with a strange sort of wonder.

"These days, people don't have time to buy such things. In the end, I can only sell chairs and replacement parts for machinery. But the profit isn't bad, so I'm not complaining." Laughing, the old man continued leading Naruto through the myriad of items before finally reaching the very back shelf.

"Ahh... Here. This is my masterpiece."

Naruto felt his heart race as he stared into what might have been the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Standing in the round, an angelic statue made of marble shined in the sunlight that penetrated the small window above it. It was modeled after a young girl, no more than sixteen. However, the figure seemed to mirror a goddess more than a normal girl. Despite being a boy who had no experiences in the taste of women, Naruto could feel that this statue probably took the very definition of feminine beauty.

"What...is it?"

The man chuckled as he walked up to it with a weary smile. "My first and greatest work. I completed it when I was but a lad. I had been struck down in my job. Near death, I saw dreams come and go. But in what appeared to be my last breath, an image of this person suddenly formed in my head. After that, I quit my job and devoted my life to art. That was nearly sixty years ago."

Naruto pried his eyes away from the piece as he looked up at the man. "I see. Thank you for sharing such a piece with me. I will treasure it. But about the job..."

The old man laughed as he draped a light cloth over the statue and made his way back towards the front of the store. "I see child. You need money. Well, I need a live-in apprentice to learn my trade. What do you say to that?"

Naruto was about to explain that he was in a hurry to get to another village when he suddenly felt his mouth freeze. Something about the place just seemed... comfortable. Opening his mouth, closing it, and finally opening it again, he slowly replied.

"If I could just stay for a few days..."

The old man's eyes twinkled as he laughed. "Of course. And while you're here, you will be my special guest. I have a spare room upstairs. I was just making dinner before you came, so we will be able to eat soon."

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he felt his hairs raise. "Wait, that's it? No asking for my name or where I came from?"

The man's eyes sparkled as if they were able to see right through him. "No. If you had wanted to tell me, I would have known. I understand that you've seen much. Your face, though it betrays your age, also sports one of the most painful eyes I've seen. I know perfectly well how we need to get away sometimes. In time, you will share your thoughts and if you wish for me to, I will offer my most humble advice."

Naruto blinked as he shook his head. The man emanated absolutely no ill intent at all. Bowing, he walked up the stairs and entered the nearby room.

Turning, the old man rubbed his chin as he thought out loud. "I hope my guest enjoys porridge. I might even have some candy in the freezer from a couple years ago."

(Two Years Later)

Naruto's internal alarm clock rang as he felt the sun lay upon him with a warm embrace. It was eight. Work started at eight-thirty today. Calmly placing his legs over the side of the mattress, he got up from the bed as made his way towards the bathroom. Stepping inside, he brushed his teeth as he looked at his hair. It was time to cut it soon. Finishing up with the basic nuisances of the morning, he changed into his worker's outfit: a simple white apron over his black t-shirt and pants. Looking at himself in the mirror, he realized that he was finally starting to show signs of growth, even if he still was smaller than most kids his age.

When he had first come to Ghen's house—Ghen was the old man's name—he had only expected his stay to take a couple days. However, the practice of sculpting and creating had enamored him and before he had known it, he had found himself with a permanent residence in Ghen's house.

Walking downstairs, he was greeted by the sight of two people he had grown incredibly accustomed to over the last year.

"Naruto nii-san, come get your breakfast. It'll turn cold soon!"

A young girl with long, flowing white hair and emerald eyes looked up to him as she smiled. Naruto couldn't help but return it as he sat down to his breakfast. Hayami was a young girl who had grown up in the darker side of life. Her father was a drunkard and gave no financial support. Instead, she lived off her meager wages, which came from selling flowers that she found on the outskirts of Wave. Yet despite her troubling situation, the white-haired nine year old never seemed to lose any spirit. In a way, she was the total opposite of Naruto. Bright, optimistic, and cheerful. However, she almost never seemed to have energy since her meals were usually of the cheapest sort. But every once in a while, she came to Ghen's house where there were plenty of materials. In exchange for some food, she cooked for them and made whatever she could. The old man had tried to tell her that it was unnecessary and that she was welcome to eat there everyday, but the girl had remained adamant about earning her own food.

"Hayami, isn't your birthday in a few days?" Ghen spoke from behind his newspaper.

Hayami brightened as she nodded. "Naruto nii-san, in a few days I'll be as old as you!"

Naruto waved his hand as he continued to eat his eggs. "Why don't you start learning how to be a carpenter now? That way, you can make a real living."

Ghen smiled as he looked at Naruto. The boy had become much more informal, well, at least compared to how he had been before. When he had first come, he had only spoke in a formal tone and had resembled a ghost. Now, it seemed as though he was finally becoming a kid. Looking to Hayami, he smiled.

"Yes, I could always use the extra hands."

Hayami smiled sadly as she shook her head. "Sorry. Father would find out and he would make trouble for you guys. I already have so much that I owe you."

Naruto scoffed as he looked away. Inside however, he was unsettled. No one had found out above his...abilities yet. In fact, he had hidden the fact that he was able to use chakra. But it didn't mean that he didn't train. No... In fact, he trained harder than ever. Every night from ten to four in the morning he trained on the sea. However, despite his efforts he had yet to learn any new techniques, nor had he upgraded his sharingan. Also, with his secret came the fact that he appeared to be a weak ten year old boy. This meant that he wasn't supposed to be able to defend against people like Hayami's father. But telling his secret would have made even greater complications. Just the other day, while making some errands to a nearby village, he had seen a wanted poster of himself. In a backwater country like wave, such a thing was not a problem. But for now, he needed to be careful not to make a name for himself.

"Hayami, couldn't you work here without him knowing?"

Hayami frowned as she pouted. "Well, I'd have to share the money I make with him and he'd ask where I got it."

"Well, why don't you just work for food then?"

"Because that wouldn't be fair to him. If I eat everyday and he has nothing to eat, I mean."

Naruto crossed his arms as he let his apparent distaste of the man show. "You should just let him starve."

Hayami frowned as she got up from her seat. "You're so mean Naruto. Family's family. They don't betray each other."

Naruto suddenly stood up as he remembered Itachi. "I'm going to go to work now." Walking briskly towards the workshop area of the store, he closed the door behind him, leaving a surprised Hayami.

"Did...I say something bad?"

Ghen sighed as he folded his newspaper. "I too mentioned family once and he reacted in a similar fashion. I'm guessing something bad has happened to them. Well, I wouldn't be worried about it."

Looking at the clock, Hayami stood up as she took out a yellow flower. "This was the best one I found this morning. Please it give to Naruto and tell him I'm sorry.

Ghen smiled as he took the flower and put it in a vase. You can tell him yourself after you get back from work. Hayami bowed as she went towards the door. "Thank you Ghen-san." Smiling, she turned and walked out of the shop.

Meanwhile, Naruto had begun forging metals as he tried to form the iron head of a rake. He had just finished crafting the wooden part before. Flipping the hot iron piece over unconsciously, he began to ponder his current situation. He had not forgotten his objective. Osawari's uncle was still there. But days had turned to months, and finally, months had turned to years. A strange feeling came up inside him as he let himself go in the workroom. Here he was safe—both from his past and his present. It felt like running away, but... Looking out the window towards the retreating figure of Hayami, he smiled ever so slightly. The action was still unfamiliar with him, but the girl seemed to bring it out.

Shaking his head, he sighed. No. He was creating his present, now. Finishing up with the iron, he delved it into water as steam filled the room. Taking it out, he straightened out the rough patches and put it into the refinery pile. He would come back to it later. But for now...

Pulling out a long piece of metal, he dipped it into the furnace as he saw the flames flash brightly due to the pumped air. He had gotten into the habit of making swords. For some reason, learning to craft had been incredibly easy for him from the start. Ghen had told him that he was a natural genius at creating things. But the craft he had the most skill in was metal work, or specifically, sword making. About a month or two into the job, he had started making swords. However, Ghen had never taught him anything about the art. In fact, the old man refused to make any weapons for some reason. Every time he had asked, the old man simply smiled and went back to his carpentry. However, he had not discouraged Naruto's practice of the art, so he flourished in it.

So far, he had made six katana, thirty chokuto, and fourteen kodachi. And many of the ones he made sold for a very high price. In fact, Ghen's store had even begun to attract a few famous samurai and weapon's dealers from different lands. Of course, by his request, Ghen had kept the maker's name anonymous. However, the best ones were always kept. In fact, the ones he sold were all mess ups of sorts. But if they wanted them... Well, who was he to throw away money?

Flipping the sword onto the table, he smashed his hammer against it with expert precision. One of these days, he would make a sword with the proper ceremony. Looking at the clock, he wiped his brow as he decided to go out for a snack. Since it was a weekend, business would be slow. Deciding to go and humor Hayami, he took off his apron and passed by the sleeping Ghen. Looking carefully, he noticed that there was a yellow flower left in a vase next to him. Picking it up, he smiled as he noticed that it was not harmed in any way. It could only be her work.

Leaving a note on the table, he stepped out the door as he felt his eyes strain from the sunlight. Passing by numerous shops and people, he acknowledged their greetings with slight nods and continued his way towards the central market place.

"Oh, Uzumaki-san!"

"Naruto nii-chan!"

Naruto stopped as he heard another couple of familiar voices call him. Smiling, he turned to meet a young boy and a strong looking man next to him.

"Inari, Kaiza. How are you doing today?"

Kaiza grinned as he lifted Inari onto his shoulders. "I just taught Inari here how to swim. He's a fast learner."

Inari pumped up his arms as he yelled happily. "Of course! I'm going to be just like dad!"

Kaiza grinned as he looked to Naruto. "Well, how is business?"

"Adequate. As for your achievement the other day, I congratulate you."

Kaiza laughed as he shook his head. "It was nothing. A man must protect what he cares for!"

Naruto nodded slowly as he looked away. "I guess. Still, swimming in those currents to close that emergency gate must have been hard on you. Yet you still have a lot of energy."

"Well, if it wasn't for that, Inari here wouldn't have wanted to learn how to swim!"

Inari beamed as he held on to his surrogate father's head. "Yeah! Dad's so awesome! He was able to swim so fast in that super crazy water! And he's the village's hero! Mom said so!"

Naruto smiled at the boy's exuberance. "Yes, your father is a true hero." Looking towards the market place, he slightly bowed as he turned to leave.

"Wait! Naruto nii-chan! Mom wanted you to you to come by and have dinner with us tonight. Oh, and she said it's cool if you brought a friend too!"

Naruto paused as he thought. "I see. I will accept your invitation."

Inari and Kaiza grinned simultaneously as they waved goodbye to the now leaving Naruto.

Deciding to buy an apple to bring as a small present, the blond stopped in front of a stand. However, it looked as if the stand owner was having some problems.

"Hey, Gatou wants his taxes, so make sure you pay them now!"

"I'm sorry, but we don't have enough money to give right now."

"Ch! That's no excuse! Hurry up and-"

"Here." Naruto took out a wad of cash as he shoved it into the man's face. "Take this and leave them alone."

The man blindly took the cash and smiled widely. "That's right you brat! Just-" He suddenly paused though as he carefully looked at him.

Naruto started to become annoyed as he looked expectantly up at the man's face. "Is there a problem?"

The man immediately shook his head as he cautiously asked. "What's your name kid?"

"Uzumaki Naruto."

"Oh." The man looked pensive for a moment before smiling. "I decided that I'll leave this stand alone for today because of you. Turning towards the stand owner, he kicked the stand. "Next time, have the money ready."

Seeing the man stomp away, the owner breathed a sigh of relief before thanking Naruto. "I'm sorry you had to use your money. You always seem to be helping us Naruto. Now that Gatou's here, things have become even harder for everyone. If there's anything that we could do for you, please, let us know."

Naruto bowed as took an apple. "Thank you, but this will be plenty."

Walking into the market place, Naruto smiled as he saw Hayami's sitting figure on the nearby sidewalk. Using a furtive shunshin after making sure that no one would see, he quickly vanished and reappeared behind her and dropped an apple on her lap.

"Business not going well today?"

"Ahhh!" Hayami fell over as her white hair flew forward. Standing up, she glared at Naruto as she bent forward to pick up her flowers.

"Business is going well. It's just that I was tired, that's all! Anyways, what are you doing here?"

Naruto sat down next to her as he picked up the apple and wiped it. Tossing it back at her, he watched her happily begin to munch it with thanks. "I was just taking a break. By the way, thanks for the flower. It was nice." Flipping a coin into her basket, he lay down on the stones and looked up at the sky.

His short respite was interrupted though as the coin flew back and hit him on the nose. "Oww... What was that for?"

Hayumi pouted her lips as she shook her head. "That flower was a gift! And also, I wanted to tell you sorry."

Naruto lay back down as he waved it off. "It's my business. It had nothing to do with your comment. But really, you'll accept an apple but you won't accept money?"

Hayami smiled as she finished the apple and placed it in a nearby trash can. "That was because you scared me earlier." Smiling, she lay down beside him and looked up at the clouds.

The two shared a comfortable silence for a while before Naruto felt that it was time to go back to work. Even if business was slow, he still needed to do something. Standing up, he brushed off the dust as he stretched. Hayami too stood up as she tied her hair back and picked up her basket.

"Oh yeah. You're not doing anything for dinner tonight, are you?"

Hayami shook her head as she looked at the coins in her basket. "I don't think so."

Naruto slightly cringed as he realized that she meant that she wouldn't have enough money to eat. Sighing, he took her shoulder as he led her to a nearby shop.

"Ehhh? What are you doing Naruto?" Trying to hide her blush, she looked away from him.

"We're going to get you some clothes. You don't want to wear that to Inari's house, do you?"

"Inari-kun?"

"Yeah, we're going to eat dinner there tonight. Ghen usually sleeps pretty early, so I thought that I'd take you."

Hayami looked at her basket as she counted the coins. "But I don't have money to-"

Naruto stared at her sternly before grabbing her head and swaying it back and forth. "Just think of it as an early birthday present. You can use it for diapers later if you want."

Hayami nodded while holding onto her head as she stepped into the store with him. Naruto handed her a clump of cash before walking off to the weapons part of the store. "Make sure you pick something decent." Thinking a bit, he smirked as he waved her off. "I don't want to be seen with a horribly dressed person."

"Naruto!"

Said blond turned away as he looked at the nearby weapons. He was able to spot several flaws in them, especially in the swords. Shaking his head, he was about to leave when a sword in the corner of the store suddenly caught his eye.

Looking up at an attendant, he politely called for his attention. "Excuse me, why is that sword alone in that corner?"

The attendant smiled as he shook his head. "Oh, that one's strange. For some reason, the sword won't come out of the scabbard. We tried to break the scabbard, but since it's made out of metal..."

"Hm. I see." Walking over to it, he lifted it up and felt its weight. "How much for it?"

The attendant looked surprised as Naruto placed it on the counter.

"Umm... I'm not sure since we didn't put a-"

Naruto placed a large amount of cash onto the table. "Is this enough?"

The attendant's eyes sparkled as he nodded furiously.

Naruto smiled as he took the sword and walked away. The sword intrigued him. He would have to explore it later. But for now..."

Naruto walked up to a nervous Hayami as he tapped her shoulder. "Done?"

Holding out a lump of cash in front of him, she bowed her head as she tried to hide her embarrassment. "I'm sorry I used so much. This place is so expensive and-"

Naruto walked away before she finished her sentence. "Whatever. Just make sure you wear that tonight."

Hayami blinked as she ran to catch up with him. "But your money!"

"I get paid very well for my swords. I thought you knew this. I have a lot more, so it's no big deal. Look, I even bought this sword on a whim. So just keep the rest for yourself."

"But-"

"If you feel bad about it, then come by the house and make some food for us. Ghen's only able to make porridge, so it's nice to have some variety."

Hayami remained silent as Naruto headed back to his house. "Oh, and make sure you come to Ghen's house around seven. We can go together to Inari's house from there."

Smiling, Hayami nodded as she waved goodbye. "Thanks Naruto! I won't be late!"

OooOo

Ghen watched Naruto carefully as the boy produced bolt after bolt with incredible celerity. For some reason, he seemed cheerful today. Of course, cheerful for Naruto usually consisted of him not having a dark aura around him. But Ghen had developed an innate sense that helped him know what Naruto's mood was, even when the boy remained as secretive as possible. It was a skill that he and Hayami shared.

"Did something good happen today?"

Naruto paused as he looked towards the man. "No. Although, I will go eat dinner with Inari's household." Pausing, he then added. "With Hayami."

Ghen smiled as he stroked his beard. "I see. That's good to hear. You and Hayami have been getting along well these days."

Naruto continued making bolts as he remained silent.

"Well, why don't you take a break until Hayami comes. I'm sure you'd like to take a shower after working in the shop all day. I'll work the rest of the night."

Naruto nodded thankfully as he put his hammer down. "Thank you Ghen-san. I will see you tonight then."

Ghen nodded as Naruto walked upstairs. Picking up a chisel, he began to carve out a sculpture as he sat down in his chair. The boy had much to learn still. Looking at the counter, he smiled as he saw the bolts all perfectly lined up.

Looking at each bolt, Ghen sighed as he comfortably chipped away at the wooden block. He knew of the boy's secret—the boy's power. A few days ago, he had seen him on a wanted poster. Sighing heavily, he stopped his work as he looked up the stairs. Hopefully the boy would learn to get over whatever sordid past he had and learn to live a new life. If he could help just this one boy...

Images of blood and carnage filled Ghen's mind as he dropped the sculpture. No, he wouldn't let it turn out the same way for him. Walking over the bolts, he inspected them and began to make some more—the wooden sculpture and chisel left forgotten underneath his chair.

OooOo

Gatou frowned as he sat in his chair. This man, Kaiza, was proving to be a hindrance to his plans. To control the Wave, he needed to crush their hope first. The Kaiza figure would be a good example. Looking at his two guards, he smiled maliciously as he crossed his hands. "Take Kaiza, by force if needed, and bring him to the nearby warehouse. Oh, and you can beat him a little if he resists. Just don't kill him. And don't cut off anything. I have something special planned for him."

The samurai grinned as they walked off. Another man came in at the same time as he kneeled before him.

"Oh, Kenzou. Do you have any more information on that boy?"

Holding out a wanted poster, the man nodded. "Yes. The boy with a million ryo bounty is indeed living in the village. He is staying at the carpenter Ghen's store."

"I see, then we'll attack tonight and-"

"Gatou-sama, if I may interrupt."

Gatou looked at the man with annoyance as he stood up and tapped his cane on the floor in front of him. "What is it?"

The man gulped as he looked up. "Well, he has a relationship with a local peasant. She has no class standing, so there wouldn't be any problem with using her."

"Who's this...girl?"

"She's young and seems to be close to him. I looked into it and found that her father is a poor drunkard who is actually abusive. So perhaps..."

Gatou smiled wickedly as he sat back down. "Kenzou, I've just had a wonderful idea. We'll use that girl to get to this...Naruto of the Jagan." Tossing a pile of money towards him, he grinned evilly. "Here, use this money to buy her from her father. Do whatever you want with her after. But make sure he sees. I want him to come to me personally. It'll make it easier for us."

"But sir, aren't you worried that the boy might pose a threat to you?"

Gatou scoffed as he spit out to his side. "I bet he's just some rich politician's son. He's too young to be a real threat and besides, I have my two bodyguards with me. Tonight, this land and his one million ryo bounty will become mine!"

Kenzou grinned as he took the money. "Yes, Gatou-sama. I will be taking some men with me though, for some extra precaution."

"Yes, do whatever you want. Just make sure he gets here."

OooOo

Sasuke dodged an incoming fireball from Kakashi as he jumped up to the trees. Throwing out several kunai with strings attached, he tried to hook the copy nin to a nearby tree but ended up catching a clone instead. Jumping out of the tree, he then created a Kage Bunshin and sent it off in the other direction. Predicting his opponent's next actions, he quickly turned to the left as he deflected several kunai with his own. Making hand seals, he ran towards the area the kunai had come from and blew a fireball at a pile of boulders. A smoldering figure flew out of the giant abyss as it suddenly turned to water in midair and soaked Sasuke from head to toe. Cursing his carelessness, Sasuke jumped back but suddenly found his back stopped by a hand. Looking over, his eyes widened as he saw Kakashi with his other hand ignited by lightning.

**Chidori!**

Kakashi slammed the chidori into the ground, but the electricity of the attack immediately jumped up to the water and shocked Sasuke severely. Falling down, Sasuke weakly turned as he muttered curses at the smiling man.

"What was that, Gaki-chan?"

Mumbling a little louder, Sasuke forced down a grin. "I said that the fight's not over yet."

Kakashi's eye widened as Sasuke's clone from before suddenly erupted from the ground behind him and slashed with a kunai. The copy nin fell to his knees as Sasuke quickly got up and slammed his fist into...stone?

Sasuke cursed as he cracked the replaced stone. A sudden kick then hit him squarely in the jaw while also dismissing his clone.

"DAMN YOU SCARECROW!"

Kakashi clicked his tongue as he took out his book.

"AND YOU'RE READING THAT STUPID BOOK AGAIN!"

Kakashi smiled as he shook his head. "You're getting stronger Sasuke. In a couple of years, maybe you'll even get to the point where you'll be able to read Icha Icha Paradise."

Sasuke sweat-dropped as he stood up. "What does that have to do with being strong?"

Kakashi frowned as he shrugged. "Well, a Sannin is the author and I, one of the strongest jounin in the village, is also an avid fan so..."

"That just means you guys are perverted."

Kakashi paused as he thought. "Maybe so. Either way, you've become stronger Sasuke. At this point, you're ready for the Chuunin exams. Although, we'll wait until you graduate and get a team."

Sasuke nodded. One of the first things Kakashi had ingrained into him was that shortcuts were not better. Going the normal path was sometimes the better choice. Therefore, instead of doing as his brother did and graduating at an earlier age, Sasuke had chosen to follow the normal curriculum.

The two remained silent before they heard a slight rumbling in the distance. Kakashi offhandedly commented as he saw the edges of a black fire flickering over the top of the trees. "It looks like the black pillar is unsettled today."

Sasuke nodded as he looked up to the moon. "I have a bad feeling about tonight..."

OooOo

Naruto frowned as he looked at the clock. It was already eight. She was an hour early. Getting up from his seat, he walked to the door and swung it open.

"Is something the matter?" Ghen asked from above his newspaper.

"I can feel that there's something wrong. I'll just go to make sure she didn't trip somewhere or anything."

Ghen nodded as he put the newspaper down. "It is dangerous for a young girl to be out alone at night. Make sure you bring an extra jacket."

Naruto nodded as he took one and quickly ran out the door. Out in the night sky, he hopped up to the top of the buildings and squinted his eyes. Hayami's house was in the poorest district—in other words, the west district. Feeling the familiar sensation of having chakra fill his feet, he shunshin'd across the tops of the buildings as he quickly made his way towards her house. There was a pulling feeling in his gut, as if there was something wrong. Tensing his muscles, his movements became invisible as he flashed forward at an even greater speed, causing the jacket that he had been holding to fall back to the breeze. Stopping just above the building, he jumped down and calmly made his way towards the front door. Not bothering to knock, he opened it and was met with the immediate sight of a crying man.

Narrowing his eyes, he recognized Hayami's so called father moping pitifully on the floor. A strange feeling of anxiety began to fill him as he quickly grabbed the man's shirt.

"Where's Hayami?!"

The man blinked through his alcohol-smelling tears as he grasped his face. "Are you her friend? Are you... I'm so sorry, I'm sorry Hayami. I wasn't in my right mind, I just saw the money, I'm so sorry Hayami. I-"

"SHUT UP!" Naruto breathed heavily as he grabbed the man by his throat and lifted him up. "Where. Is. Hayami."

The man looked at him fearfully as he tried to speak. Relaxing his grip slightly, Naruto set the man on the floor. "Speak."

"She's... I... I sold her."

Naruto's fist clamped on his face as he slammed him against the wall. "WHAT?!"

"I'm sorry! The man had offered so much money and I just..."

"WHERE IS SHE?!" Black chakra began to leak out of Naruto, causing the man to become even more frightened.

"The man said that he would be at the trash site in the second district!"

Naruto threw the man down as he glared at him. "You should be ashamed of yourself." Not bothering to look back, he ran out of the house, leaving the man alone in his puddle of tears and urine.

Naruto's heart pumped with exertion as he flew to the second district. Every step made his heart feel even more scared. He had never experienced such an emotion before. Even in the past, when he had faced death with that one ANBU captain, he had not felt fear. But now. Now he needed to save her, no matter what he did... At any cost.

Landing in front of the garbage site, Naruto felt numerous chakra signals. Looking forward, he noticed that there was a large trash heap with a fire in front of it. The bastards were sitting in front of the fire as if they had done nothing wrong. Activating his sharingan, he tried to find Hayami's white hair near them but found that she wasn't there. Breathing a sigh of relief, he began walking towards them but stopped suddenly when he spotted a semblance of white strewn upon the base of the trash heap.

"Oi, who's there?"

The five men near the campfire called out to him in drunken merriment.

"You deaf brat? Hurry up and go home before we teach you a lesson."

One of them suddenly stopped the others though as he recognized the boy. Grinning, he yelled out. "Aren't you Uzumaki Naruto of the Jagan? We've come to take you to our boss."

Naruto ignored them though as he slowly walked towards the unmoving figure on the trash heap. Walking right past the grinning men, he bit his lip and drew blood.

Hayami, bloody and battered, lay unnaturally above the trash with her mouth open and dried tears clinging onto her pale face. Her white hair was grimy with blood and her arms had several bruises on them. Her once vibrant green eyes were open with a permanent, dull glaze covering them. With rage, he realized that the dress she had bought earlier was in pieces next to her—the cause of her state showing prominently in it's shredded form. Trying to feel her pulse, he instead received frozen, deathly silence.

"Oh her? Ha, she only lasted a couple of turns. Kids really are worthless after all!" The man from before laughed grotesquely as he took another swig from his wine bottle. "Anyways, our boss wants to meet you so just-"

Trembling, he clenched his fists as a third tomoe suddenly sharpened into his eyes. "You... She was just a child." Laughing eerily, he gripped his face with his fingers as he looked up. "Humans really are despicable things."

"Eh? What are you mumbling there kid?"

Turning slowly, Naruto's eyes turned crimson as three tomoe began spinning rapidly around his pupil. Black chakra poured from his body as it covered him with a shroud of death.

"Hey, what are you-"

The man didn't finish his sentence as he suddenly found himself without a head. The other men blinked a couple of times as they saw their friend's body slowly fall to the ground. Standing a couple feet away, Naruto held the man's head with his hand before crushing it with his bare hands. A spray of blood showered him as he felt his body tremble with rage.

"_**YOU BASTARDS! I'LL TEAR YOU ALL TO PIECES!" **_

Kenzou screamed as he quickly got up with his friends to run. They didn't get far though as their legs suddenly detached from under them, making them tumble over. Turning around, he suddenly found his neck in an iron grip.

"WAIT! WAIT!" Despite being choked, he managed to get a couple of words out.

Naruto's demonic eyes stared back with cold fury as his mouth snarled words. _**"What?"**_

"The one who told me to do this was Gatou! He was the one that gave me the money and told me to do it! We're innocent! I'm innocent! I was just following orders!" The man's voice bordered hysteria as he struggled against Naruto's grip.

"_**Gatou?" **_His grip lessened somewhat as the man sighed in relief.

"Yes, he's waiting for you at warehouse thirty one. He's also planning to take care of Kaizo there!"

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he dropped the man.

"Thank you! Thank you!" Kissing the boy's feet, Kenzou's mouth tasted dirt as he continuously repeated the action.

Turning towards the trash heap, Naruto looked at Hayami's body as he spoke softly. "I'll give you a proper burial after this is all over..." With that, he walked towards the outer edge of the trash area. Kenzou dropped to his knees as he saw that all of his friends had been torn apart to pieces. Bones, tissue, skin, hair, eyes, and organs lay in a bloody mess all around him. But he had survived! He had-

Naruto continued walking as a black flame suddenly erupted from behind him. _**"Burn forever in my fire of hell. And make sure to tell the devil that he should expect another tonight. Gatou... I'M COMING FOR YOUR HEAD!" **_

To be continued...

A/N: Yeah, told you it was brutal. Next chapter is going to be carnage. A furious Naruto with a regained and 'hint' maybe more powerful Mangekyou? I pity Gatou.

A lot of stuff happened that will play an important role in the future. So just...bear with it. About romance, the only hint of it was in this chapter. I will not make Naruto get involved with any girl in a romantic relationship until about thirty or so chapters into the story. So it'll be quite a while. Well, a lot happened in this chapter: Osawari and Natsumi left to go find Madara, said Uchiha's starting Akatsuki, Sasuke's been training with Kakashi, Naruto meets the citizens of waves, and the whole Hayami ordeal. So there's lots of things to talk about. I tried to reply to most of your reviews, but seriously. Do you expect me to reply to "WRITE." But either way, I like getting reviews from you guys. It really helps me write faster. So please review again! I love to hear from you guys.


	6. The Start of an Epic Journey

A/N: Hello! I'm back and ready for some action! Lots of details but kinda short. Pay attention though! There are a lot of things that are super important! Oh, there were some mistakes before, but I fixed them! So now, without delaying your pleasure any further, I give you Chapter 6.

Chapter 6: The Start of an Epic Journey

The rain splashed against the window as droplets streamed down the fogged translucent screen, mirroring the actions of tears. A clash of thunder, a flash of lightning—the rain echoed querulously with the wind. The rattling of trees juxtaposed the sympathetic fallacy that such a mood seemed to create... And an old man sat solemnly in the comfort of his home in the midst of it, his knowing eyes peering into space with a tired and unfathomably sad glow. An ethereal blue light faded from his eyes as his face seemed to age several years. Picking himself up on the old sinews he called legs, he crept towards the furtherest part of his home with a limped gait. Each step seemed to weigh down the entirety of his body with eternal sadness, as if some odious dust had been picked up with his feet in his earlier days—never settling to the hammer of time. Yet as the man took each step, resolve also seemed to grow in his eyes and the smallest spark began to blaze. Taking off his shirt, he revealed numerous burns and scars along the course of his surprisingly muscular body. With a firm hand, he gripped a steel hammer and swung it down with all his might; the thunder echoed the action.

"Naive dream... It was but a hopeless dream, that you could find safety here. I'm sorry young Naruto. In the end, both of our souls could not be saved with just time. But I haven't given up hope yet. You will take your path and carry my future with yours. I will die with your sins and hopefully, give you a chance at freedom. So don't lose yourself tonight." A flash of blue shined in his eyes before quickly disappearing. A satisfied smile etched upon his figure as he lifted the hammer one last time. "I have seen it; you will be the one."

OooOo

_Rip. Tear. Hate. Destroy. Kill. Obliterate. Annihilate._

Naruto repeated the mantra with increasing ferocity as his mind was overcome with images too horrid to spill with his mouth. Tears that should have fallen drowned in his beast-like roar while any feelings of mourning were overtaken by rage. The rain splashed against in drenched hair, the suit he had originally worn disheveled and transformed into a madman's suit. In a small corner of his mind, he knew it was wrong to take revenge. But it was _easier _and more satisfying this way.

In the end, he was a ninja. The time he had with Hayami and Ghen had dulled that thought. For a while, he had almost believed that he could have given up training—given up his thoughts of revenge and instead turn to the crafts and make a living as a normal person. But he had fooled himself, and fate had given him his punishment. His curse would never disappear, his eyes would never see the light. He would find no sanctuary here nor anywhere else...

Clenching his fists, blood spilled from wounds that sealed themselves before they were noticed, and he ran as fast as he could towards his current destination: the foolish human known as Gatou.

The rain had decreased visibility, but under his sharingan the path was as perceptible as the clouds before a storm. His footsteps made no sound as he jumped from roof to roof, until they stopped altogether in front of a giant, lit warehouse with the large numbers **203 **on them.

Breathing heavily not from exhaustion but from an increased surge of epinephrine, his eyes widened as he felt an uncontrollable power seize his form. Black chakra bubbled from his body as he cried out with more fury than the ongoing storm.

OooOo

Gatou smugly smirked as he kicked the already downed Kaiza. Using his cane, he smashed the man's head into the ground while his bodyguards watched. The man had not even resisted, saying that he would not fight to fulfill Gatou's selfish ambitions. Of course, he had not taken kindly to that. Battering people around was so much more fun when they couldn't do anything about it. Sighing, Gatou stepped back as he motioned for his men to untie him.

"Now, will you stay down like a dog and do what I say? It's meaningless to resist my campaign here."

Kaiza smiled painfully as he kneeled. "This village is my home. I will do everything I can to protect it. No matter what the cost, I will do what is needed."

Gatou frowned as he slammed his cane against the man's temple. Furious, he was about to tell his men to kill the troublesome man already, but paused as he felt a wicked thought rise from his mind.

"You... I heard you're quite proud of those arms. Let's see you how brave you are without them!"

Two giant men with equally gargantuan hammers smiled as they lifted their weapons above Kaiza's head. The fisherman closed his eyes as he readied himself for the pain, when an unearthly scream suddenly blasted in from outside. Everyone stopped as they felt curiosity at the strange noise and another emotion... fear.

Gulping, Gatou motioned to one of his men to go check what had happened. The man nodded and quickly went out the door into the rain. A strange noise suddenly befell their ears though as they all stepped a little closer to try to see what had happened. Suddenly, the man's head rolled back into the room, causing all of them to jump with shock.

Slowly, the giant metal door creaked open as a drenched Naruto clad in black mist stepped forward. A wave of sable washed over them as the room filled with his chakra. A couple of men suffocated as they fell down due to the density of the energy. Yet, in a second as if it had been an illusion, the mysterious black fog disappeared, leaving a young, sodden boy with dull blond hair and flickering red eyes.

Gatou paused for a second before laughing. His laughter prompted his men to also come out of their fear as they all boisterously joined the action without any reason. Wiping his tears, Gatou smirked as he tapped his cane on the floor.

"You must be Uzumaki Naruto of the Jagan. What'd you do to my man? Are you hiding a knife on you? That's pretty cowardly. Such an unkempt boy... No wonder your village wants you dead! "

Gatou's smile turned into a sneer as he waited for the boy's response. Getting none, he stepped back behind his men as he yelled. "But you made a stupid move brat! Even if I didn't know that guy, it wouldn't be good if I didn't pay you back for killing one of my hands. The bounty said dead or alive. I had been feeling nice earlier, but now, I think we'll take you in dead!" Snapping his head toward the two giant men from before, he pointed at Naruto. "Take care of him and smash him good!"

The two men grinned as they stepped up to Naruto. Bringing their arms up to swing their hammers down, Kaiza finally snapped out of his shock as he tried to warn the boy.

"Naruto! Run-"

Kaiza and the rest of the people watched in disbelief as Naruto's arms suddenly flared with chakra and shot up to catch the hammers while they were still falling towards him. A second later, the giant metal mallets shattered as the boy's fingers dug trenches in them. At a loss due to their broken weapons, the giants looked at each other for a second.

It was the last thing they would ever see.

Making two clones, Naruto used his hands to plunge into the two men's abdominal cavities, crushing their hearts in the process. Not bothering to pause, the other two swept into action as they claimed their victim's lives mercilessly. The gravity of the situation finally fell on Gatou as he saw his men fall victim to this kid- no, monster, one by one. And as each man fell, his heart beat grew louder and louder until its volume overtook his own hearing.

Finished with the deed, Naruto stepped over the puddles of blood as his clones vanished. An endless stream of blood dripped from his pale hands as dirty rainwater and rancid crimson dyed his hair a frightful red. Stopping next to Kaito, his mouth opened slightly as he pointed to the door.

"Get out of here and go home."

Kaiza nodded as he stood up, despite his previous injuries, and limped towards the door. However, before he got out, he paused as he clenched his fists.

"I have no business to say this Naruto, but regardless of what I think is proper, I must say it." Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes as he shouted. "Don't become a demon! You're a man who should protect, not kill!"

With that, Kaiza swung the door open and stepped into the cold rain, his back towards the scene as his teeth gritted with sadness.

Gatou looked at Naruto before laughing nervously. Standing up straighter, he grabbed onto the boy's shoulder as he tried to calm himself.

"Haha... He's right! Don't kill me! I can give you money and anything else you want! Actually, become my own bodyguard! You can get anything you ever wanted! And you're young! I have a lot of things that I could do for you and-"

Gatou stopped as he realized that the boy wasn't listening. Gulping, he was about to run away when the boy suddenly opened his lips and softly spoke.

"Kaiza-san, I'm sorry. I'm not strong enough to be a hero like you. No..." Gatou almost screamed out loud as Naruto's eyes sharpened to black and red—a menacing cross slanted into an x shape in the backdrop of his pupil. _**"At this point, I can only be a demon."**_

Gatou raised his hands in defense as his eyes stared into Naruto's spinning red ones. "Wait!"

**MANGEKYOU: TSUKIYOMI**

Gatou wildly looked around as he felt an unbearable pain in his hands and feet. Tugging his limbs, he was met with even more pain. Upon closer inspection, he discovered that there were katana lodging him onto a wall of some sort. Blinking his eyes due to the pain, he noticed that everything else had disappeared and that there was only an endless expanse of water below him. Suddenly, Naruto appeared in front of him as he took out a long and wickedly shaped katana.

"Welcome to my world of Tsukiyomi. For the next seventy-two hours, you will experience the most severe pain you have and will ever feel." Stepping up to him, Naruto slowly inserted the katana's tip into the man's eye as he felt the satisfaction of hearing him scream. Wrenching it out, he then proceeded to remove the man's digits one by one, allowing Gatou's one eye to watch the process. However, right when he was about to collapse from the pain, it disappeared and the process repeated. Moaning, Gatou's body shook with fear as he felt bile spill into his mouth.

"Mer...Mercy..."

Naruto's mouth twitched into a smile as he opened his mouth. "Seventy-one hours and fifty-nine minutes to go. Think carefully about what you've done during that time."

OooOo

Ghen sat down from exhaustion as he picked up the prize. He had sworn that he would never let anyone die by something made by his hands again, but this boy was the one that would change the future. As the greatest sword smith of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, it was his duty to do this. A flash of blue entered his eyes once again as he lost himself in his bloodline. The power to see visions of the future was a heavy burden, but it was a necessary tool that needed to be used to guide the future in the right direction. His leaving Kiri had been a part of it, and now, his decision to give his greatest work to this boy was also essential.

Flying through nebulous regions of stars and empty space, he felt the familiar tug of his bloodline as a certain light shined brighter than the others. Heading towards it, he was enveloped by a bright light and finally felt himself land on solid ground. Apparently, this was the scene in which he would give witness to.

It was bright and in the desert. Off to his left, he could see a shadow moving towards him. It was strange to see such a figure, heavily cloaked in black, walking in what appeared to be the brightest place he had ever seen. But the brightness quickly turned to a different intensity as Ghen's body started to feel the effects of the man's presence.

A sudden coldness weighed upon him as he felt weaker as the man continued to step forward. Forcing his eyes to look at such a vast and evil being, he dropped to the floor as the man's face became clear. Covered in black chakra, the man was Naruto—though he was a good seven years older. Now a fearfully handsome man, his face carried a certain cruelty that made even the wisened man shudder with fear.

_This is the future...? The world is doomed. How can this be, that such a-_

Ghen stopped in his thoughts as Naruto's face suddenly scowled at a new presence. Turning to his right, Ghen froze as silent tears slowly started to stream down his face. A man around the same age as Naruto was standing opposite to him with a powerful radiance glowing off of him. Moreover, another dazzling figure, one he had only seen once in his entire life, was standing next to him. The radiance of the light battled the hellish dark as the archetypal battle of good and evil commenced.

Closing his eyes, Ghen felt himself come out of the vision as the sound of rain settled once again into his ears and the cold air of the shop filled his nostrils. Wiping his tears, he stood up with the sword in hand as he walked into the kitchen to await the boy's return. Looking up to the heavens, he looked at the remains of the statue of the goddess that had held the sword and smiled.

"So this is what you meant. Now, I truly give my hope and dreams to you Naruto. May you find your true path. Though it isn't much, I hope that you will use this to fulfill your destiny. Your path will be unbearably difficult, but with her help... I have faith in you."

OooOo

Naruto walked towards the trash site in ominous harmony as the rain continued to wash the blood from his hair. Gatou was dead. After being released Tsukiyomi, he had immediately stabbed his own throat. It was an incredible feat since Tsukiyomi was supposed to induce a comatose state. His desire to die had been so great that he had overcome his unconsciousness. But it was over now.

Walking over to Hayami, he took off his coat as he placed it over her limp and cold figure. Holding her frail body in his arms, he finally dropped down to his knees in the mud and cried. The rain, splashing against his frozen red irises, intertwined with his tears in a requiem of agony and pain. Here, with Hayami's death, he would abandon all humanity and live as a shadow. He had killed her, his best friend, with his own hands. The greed of others were just catalysts to the event. It was his existence that caused harm to others. Burying his head into her shoulder, he closed his eyes as her white hair covered his face. If only he could hold her warm hand or hear that voice again... But it was impossible. Fate had dictated his life to an endless hell. The treatment from the villagers due to the Kyuubi, Shisui's death, Itachi's betrayal, his abandonment of the village, Hayami's death...

He needed to get away and be alone. He realized that now. Only by himself could he possibly keep his heart at bay. He would never experience this again. No. He couldn't experience this again.

Releasing all his anger, his sadness, and his memories, he let the rain wash it away as he finally stood up and began walking again. That day, a piece of him—the ability to love—died and withered with the trash laid haphazardly over the sunken and all too unstable ground of the site. Such was the true birth of Naruto of the Jagan.

Walking up to the highest point in Wave, he created a bunshin to hold her while he started to dig. His nails bled as the hard soil and debris tore through his skin, each clump of dirt sloshing behind him due to the intensity of the rain. He continued this process with an almost possessed air, his mechanical arms plowing through the already collapsing mud.

But somehow, he finally managed to dig a proper grave. Taking Hayami's body from the Kage Bunshin, he hopped down into the prodigious hole and laid her down.

"This is the best I can do for you now. I'm sorry."

Jumping out of the man-made trench, he slowly covered it back up with the soil. Each patch covered her pale face until her entire figure was eventually enveloped by the ground. Patting the surface, he then took two tree branches and smoothed them out by using chakra formed blades coming from his fingers. Placing them on top to show that it was a grave, he then turned away as he walked back down the slope.

And as he walked, the pouring rain cleansed the mud from his hands.

OooOo

Ghen's eyes fluttered open as he felt a familiar yet frighteningly foreign chakra approach his door. The figure stood there for a while before the portal finally creaked open, revealing a soaked Naruto standing in the doorway. Naruto simply stared at the man for a second before heading towards. Before he took the first step up though, he quietly murmured a few words.

"Hayami and Gatou are dead. I'm leaving."

With that, Naruto headed upstairs to gather some belongings. Ghen sighed as he rubbed his temples. He had already seen this vision earlier that night, but reality was always harder to deal with. A pain constricted in his heart as he looked at the sword in his hand. For a brief second, he wanted to run upstairs, hug the boy with all his might and tell him that it was okay, that things would get better. That he could stay here and try to carry on!

But that was a foolish thought. To go against the visions of the Mikamura clan always resulted in a horribly damaged timeline. Moreover, if his vision came true...

Naruto walked downstairs quietly with a small sac tied behind his back. Packing only a few spare changes of clothes, he had decided to travel lightly. Walking into the workshop, he was about to pick up some of his swords when Ghen stopped him.

"You won't need those."

Naruto halted his movements as he looked back at the man. There was no question or demand in his eyes. They were simply...blank.

Taking a deep breath, Ghen held back the pain in his heart and held the sword in front of him. "This is the greatest sword I have ever made. It was made as a holy sword in the streams that connect this world to the afterlife. Having no name, it has yet to find a proper owner. I made this sixty years ago and it is still the greatest piece I have ever forged."

Taking it out of the deceivingly simple black metal scabbard, a sword with intricate glowing blue engravings rang out a song of pure power in the small workshop. Naruto's own icy blue ones locked onto the engravings as he felt a strange urge to suddenly hold it. Seeing his reaction, Ghen smiled as he sheathed it and held it up for him to grab.

"However, it is not finished yet."

As Naruto's hand grasped the sword scabbard, a violent wind broke out as the sword inside rattled. Naruto's eyes narrowed as he felt the sword shake with increasing energy and felt his own chakra being sucked into it.

"I simply gave the sword a physical form. In actuality, this is Sakegari's Katana, or Totsuka's sword. Originally a spirit sword meant for sealing, it almost took my life when I sealed it into this physical form."

Naruto's head moved up to meet his eyes as he asked questioningly. "Then when you said that you had met that goddess when you were about to die..."

Ghen nodded as he closed his eyes. "It was my duty to pass this sword onto you. But even now, it is not finished. Only in the hands of its true owner..."

Naruto's eyes widened as the sword suddenly exploded in a flash of light, revealing two kodachi in each hand, one midnight black and the other a pure white.

"...will the sword find its true form."

Looking at it closely, Ghen smiled as he saw the insignia on the two blades. "The fox and the dragon... Fine inscriptions for fine weapons.

"But you'll need a scabbard for those. Wait just a couple of hours for me to finish them. You can leave at that time."

Naruto nodded as he placed the swords on the table. Looking back at the old man, he slightly frowned as he saw him working hard on a raw piece of metal.

"Aren't you going to ask any questions? Like why I'm leaving or what had happened?"

Ghen paused in his work for a second as he smiled at Naruto. "No. If you had wanted to tell me, I would have known. I understand that you've seen much. Your face, though it betrays your age, also sports one of the most painful eyes I've seen..."

Naruto bit back a smile as he remembered his first encounter with the old man. However, another sight then caught his attention as he frowned. "The statue you had made... It's in shambles."

Ghen smiled as he nodded. "It served its purpose. Never forget how it looked Naruto. This, you must keep in your heart above all else."

Naruto closed his eyes as he nodded. "That, I will do." Feeling fatigue from the night's activities, Naruto slowly let himself fall into a light sleep with the sounds of metalwork lulling him to rest. It would be his last, safe sleep for quite a while.

OooOo

Ghen wiped the sweat off of his forehead as he regained his bearings. At eighty-two years old, he wasn't exactly the strong youth he had been in his younger years. Making simple scabbards for ordinary swords would have been simple enough, but then again, these were no ordinary swords. Already, the swords had caused the table the boy had placed them on to melt under some unknown force. They were currently laying on the ground, burning the hell out of his wooden floor. Grumbling, he continued fortifying the scabbards with countless seals as he left them on the floor. Even if he had tried to pick them up, they would have probably just ended up burning him or whatever tool he used to pick them up with. Ghen sweat dropped as he saw the swords finally break through the wooden floor and fall to the ground below the house. Taking another mass of handy sutras, he slapped them on the scabbards as he molded them to the iron. It was a good thing he had a lot of these.

Finally finished with the two scabbards, he set them up on the stand before pulling up his sleeves. With lightning speed he snatched them from the ground and placed them into their respective scabbards. Black blisters had already formed on his palms from the split second action, but the sheathes were a success. Perfectly fitting the two swords, one weapon gleamed a menacing black, while the other shined a radiant white. Looking at the sleeping face of Naruto, Ghen lightly placed the two swords in the boy's sac before heading upstairs. Taking one last look at the scene below him, he sighed as he felt the emptiness that came with Naruto's and Hayami's absence. When he woke up tomorrow morning, the two would never step back into the house with one smirking while the other blushed with simple happiness. Never would he hear the beautiful ringing of Naruto's metalwork, and never would Hayami's beautiful flowers grace his simple dining table.

"Things were fun while you were here Naruto. You helped me more than you could ever realize. Even now, I think of you as a grandson. May you be the hero that I saw in my dreams... Goodbye Naruto, and good luck with your journey."

With that, Ghen marched upstairs to his room, missing the slowly opening eyelids of Naruto.

"Thank you... old man."

OooOo

Naruto walked out of the old carpenter shop for the last time as he headed to the top most hill of the village. There, on a cliff looking over the entirety of Wave, he kneeled in front of the grave he had made for Hayami.

"I'm leaving now. I won't come back either, so I'm saying my goodbyes now. I guess this'll be the last time we'll ever see each other again, since you're probably in heaven right now."

Pausing, he took out a white and yellow flower and laid them on the soil. "While I was walking here, I saw these growing out from underneath a sakura tree. I couldn't get them to come out nicely like you did, but..."

Naruto stopped as he closed his eyes. It was enough. Any more and the pain would return. It was time to leave and forget this place. By himself, he needed to follow his path and-

"Naruto!"

Naruto paused as a sudden shiver ran through his spine. Time stopped for a second as he felt a warmness flood his entire being. That voice was...

Turning around, his eyes widened as he saw Hayami running towards him with her hands waving. "Naruto, where are you going?"

Naruto couldn't move his mouth as he felt numb. Not trusting his voice, he opened his mouth and softly whispered. "Ha..Hayami?"

And then, in an instant the break of dawn fell upon him as he blinked. Hayami was gone and the sun was now coming up. Rubbing his eyes, he smiled as he bent down and looked at the two flowers. They were coiled around each other in a beautiful ensemble of white and faint yellow, glowing in the rising sun. Brushing his hand over the flowers, he stood up as he turned his back on the grave and strode out to the village's gate. He still had a mission to fulfill, only this time, he was not alone. True, he had lost his capacity to love others that night, but he had instead gained two pillars that would support him for all eternity. Taking out his twin kodachi, he pulled out the black sword as he bit his finger. Drawing kanji across the blade's surface, the Kodachi gleamed a glorious black with a crimson red at the base of the blade. Doing the same to the other, the blood shifted colors to a permanent red as he looked at them in resolution.

"You, on my left, black with the power of the greatest fire shall be called Ghen." Looking at his right, he smiled as he looked upon the brilliant kanji. "You, the protector of my right, white in the purest sense, shall be called Hayami." Sheathing the two once again, the kodachi shook with satisfaction at the names. The light of his eyes changed as dullness turned to a sharpness fiercer than any blade. A resolve poured into his eyes as he saw his path laid out before him. In the end, Wave, a poor and backwater country, had taught him a special lesson: resolution.

Feeling the already familiar weight of Ghen and Hayami on his back, he walked down the slope as he left the grave.

No, he would never be alone from now on.

OooOo

Naruto's steady footsteps lightly pushed against the moist path as he passed through the main street. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw people hiding behind store booths with a look of fear in their faces. Closing his eyes, Naruto smiled as he walked undeterred. Of course. No one had had any idea that he had been capable of doing such a thing. To them, he had simply been the village prodigy that had showed some promise in carpentry. Walking to the end of the village, he noticed that the people were following him with a cautious air about them.

"Naruto."

The boy stopped as he heard a familiar voice resound behind him. Turning around, his black cloak swished behind him as he looked at the first man he had acknowledged after coming into the village.

"Kaiza."

The fisherman nodded as he stepped up to Naruto and put a hand on his shoulder. "I don't approve of what you did to Gatou. Murder is not a deed that should be carried out, even if the person deserved it."

Naruto remained silent, his own ideals held from breaking free from his tongue due to the respect he held for the man.

"But know this, Uzumaki Naruto. You, above all of us, have the power to be a true hero. With that strength of yours, you can stand with justice. Even if your actions were wrong..."

Kaiza bowed headfirst as he kneeled on the ground. "You are always welcome to come back. At that time, we will accept you with open arms. Until then, remember us and know that you are not alone in this world."

Naruto stared upon Kaiza's figure impassively before stooping down to touch the man's shoulder.

"Your thoughts. I will remember them." Turning to go, he was stopped by yet another person.

"Wait, Uzumaki-san!"

A portly man ran forward with a giant bag in his hands. Running up to Naruto, he panted heavily as he put it on the ground. "Here, I brought you apples for your journey. You'll be hungry, won't you?"

Naruto paused in surprise at the unexpected kind gesture and smiled. "Thank you, but I will have just the one." Picking a red apple from the bag, he tucked it into his pocket as he continued on his way, not turning back to see the bowing figures of every villager behind him.

(Two weeks later)

Sasuke looked at Iruka with disbelief as he clenched the sides of the table. Sure, he had promised Kakashi that he would wait and take the normal road to becoming a ninja, but this new policy was ridiculous!

Iruka coughed in nervousness from the sheer number of glares as he resumed his speech. "Well, yes. Therefore, the council and the Hokage have decided to make the graduation age from the academy fourteen. So those of you who wish to continue your ninja careers will have to stay in the academy for four more years."

Kiba, a rowdy child the same age as Sasuke, yelled as he slammed his fist on the table. "That's not fair Iruka-sensei! Why do we graduate later?!"

Iruka's eyebrow twitched as he grabbed a nearby newspaper and rolled it into a stick. Slamming the chalkboard, the classroom suddenly became quiet as Iruka sighed with relief.

"Thank you. As for you question Kiba-kun, this new policy had been decided after the horrible failure of the last Chuunin exam."

Sakura, a vehement fan girl of Sasuke's with a fair amount of intelligence in book matters, raised her hand as she asked quietly. "But isn't that the fault of the Jounin instructors?"

Iruka nodded. "Yes, your Jounin-sensei is supposed to work with your individual talents and help you develop as more specialized ninja. But the council wants their students to be prepared beyond the basics of ninja techniques before becoming Genin. Therefore, you will now finish the previous requirements for passing the original test by the age of twelve. After that, for the next two years you will be trained in more advanced techniques with a greater level of training. To enter these next two years, only the best will be chosen. Think of it as getting an extra preparatory class. But be wary everyone. Even if it's still a part of the academy, the training is only for those who are able to have the potential for being strong ninja. In the entire ten year old class, only about twenty children will have the privilege of entering the advanced classes."

Sasuke frowned as he leaned back on his chair. He would have to find out the true meaning of this from Kakashi later. There was always a meaning underneath the underneath.

"Well, now that that's done, let's review the Henge jutsu!"

The class collectively groaned as they lined up to show their techniques. If only there were a prankster to make the class more interesting...

OooOo

Naruto's hand shot up as he crushed several mosquitoes with his bare hands. After two weeks of traveling, he had finally made it into Kusa's territory. But the place, contrary to the simple name of grass, was more like a jungle. Already he had killed about twenty centipedes that were bigger than him, two hundred mosquitoes, seventeen unknown insect species that used a strange poison for melting things, and a foolish monkey who had tried to steal his apple. Even worse was the fact that the foliage was too thick to run through while the trees were too flimsy to jump from. Coupled with the muddy terrain that sank with each step, the place had definitely become his least favorite place in the last couple of days.

Cutting a nearby tree with his chokuto—he didn't want to use Ghen or Hayami for such a trite matter—he trudged forward. He was almost tempted to burn down the entire forest in a blaze of Amaterasu, but that would lead to his discovery by Kusa nin.

Slipping past poisonous insects and spiders, he pulled out his map as he tried to find his location. Tucking it into his pocket, he shot a packet of chakra to his feet and jumped as high as he could. Passing the several levels of foliage, his head finally peaked above the tallest trees. Turning his head rapidly, he spotted the parts of tall buildings to his east, just six kilometers from his position. Rejuvenated at the prospect of finally reaching the city, he resumed his slow journey with more energy in his step.

(Six vengeful monkeys and six deaths later)

Pushing himself through vines, he finally broke free from the maddening forest and walked up to what appeared to be the village gate. The outside looked familiar to Konoha; a giant circular wall enclosed the town while an impervious wooden door guarded the entrance. Remembering that he was a wanted criminal, Naruto henged his face and put another genjutsu over it, making him look more like a teenager with long dark blue hair. Unintentionally, he had changed into Shisui's form.

Walking up to the door, two ninja suddenly melted out of the wall as they stopped him.

"Who's there?"

Pulling out every ounce of acting talent he possessed, Naruto panted with fake exhaustion as he dropped to his knees. "I come from a nearby village. Our town was raided by bandits so we took our belongings and ran away. Since Kusa was the nearest village, I tried to come here."

The first guard sympathetically tried to step forward, but was stopped by the second one.

"Wait... What village were you from and how did you get through this forest in the first place?"

Naruto bowed his head as he recalled the map in his mind with his photographic memory. "It was Haru Village. Out of all the farmers there, I was the one with the most talent in fighting. I had tried to fight off the bandits, but was finally forced to run away after they took the village. My family was also..." Tears threatened to leak out of Naruto's face as he hit the floor with his fist.

"Anyways, since I was alone, I thought that I would come to this village. Also..."

"Also?"

Naruto smirked as he felt them falling for his trap.

"Also, I heard that Kusa is in need of blacksmiths. I can work for a little bit in return for my stay here."

The Kusa ninja's suspicion rose as they stepped towards him. "Who told you that we need blacksmiths?"

Holding out his hands, Naruto asked for the men's weapons. Spinning them around, he took the end of it and smashed it against the wall, breaking the black blade in the process.

"Hey! Those are expensive to replace!"

Naruto smiled kindly as he took out a kunai from his own pouch and handed it to him. "This is a kunai that I made. I used relatively basic metals and spent only a couple minutes on it. But more importantly, it can withstand even the force of a katana. Before a being a warrior, I am a craftsman."

The Kusa nin looked at him disbelievingly as they felt the iron. It certainly did seem strong and the boy appeared to be genuine... Also, the boy emitted a fairly low chakra level—only about the strength of a fairly strong genin. And only ninja who were ANBU captain or higher were able to mask their chakra like that. Even if this boy was a teenager... Well, they needed some weapons anyways. Why not take the chance?

"Alright, you can come in. But only if you make us some good weapons. But keep it a secret, alright?"

The guards missed the smirk on Naruto's face as they led him into the village. "No problem, Ninja-san."

To be continued...

A/N: Relatively short chapter, but I wanted to give you guys something at least. Next one will feature a new training regime for Naruto and another special character. Also, he'll discover the secrets of Ghen and Hayami (the swords).

Now, I got two unsettling reviews about the last chapter. I'd like to take this moment to tell them that this is a story. The plot simply progresses for the sake of building an experienced Naruto. I am not a masochist. Rather, I am a writer who is able to look past the simple insecurities of others and write what is needed. Everything plays a part in the story. From the smallest details of the rain and sand of chapter two to the shattered statue in this chapter. But really guys. I'm not some sick pervert who writes to indulge his warped needs.

But on a lighter and happier note, thank you so much to everyone else who reviewed! For having an open mind and simply bearing it, I thank you. As you saw in this chapter, it turned out okay, so just trust me. Again, thank you so much for your support. I'm actually starting the next chapter now. Just to make it interesting, I'll give a special kudos in the next chapter to the reviewer who is able to guess the powers of Ghen and Hayami (Again, the swords). Also, There's a vote you guys can partake in! Since I don't want Naruto to always just whip out Ghen and Hayami for weak sauce ninja, I want to give him a primary weapon. Sure, I could make him stick with the chokuto, but it could always be more interesting. Personally, I'm thinking dual chains for grabbing or gauntlet claws. But hey! It's your votes!

School's a little harsh right now with a lot of tests going on, but for my awesome readers, I'll make sure to bring out this next chapter quickly. Oh, and the first signs of who the romantic interest of Naruto is will appear in the next chapter. But now, I'll give you guys a power level scale for the heck of it. I'll only do this after major events where the characters actually fight. Note: This is just their power level. A higher one does not mean that they'll always win, although it does mean that they'd have a good chance.

_**Average**_ base numbers for comparison in my story:

Normal human: 5

Strong human: 10

Genin: 45

Chuunin: 100

Jounin: 250

Junior Anbu: 180

Anbu leader: 250

Anbu captain: 300

Sannin: 450-500 (This is because there are three different Sannin)

Kage: 500

Characters:

Naruto: 190

Naruto with Sharingan: 240

Naruto with Mangekyou: 450

Ghen: 80

Hayami: 2.5

Gatou: 4

Hammer dudes for Gatou: 20

Gatou's personal bodyguards who didn't get any action: 25

Gatou's henchmen: 5

Kaiza: 10

Sasuke: 120

Kakashi: 380

And don't you try to tell me my numbers are wrong. They are _my _numbers after all. Just kidding! Anyways, please review. Basic highlights of what happened: Ghen smashed the statue and took the sword out of it (the statue was the goddess thing he had made when he was younger, see last chapter if you're scratching your head), Naruto owned Gatou, Naruto gets the sword(s) from Ghen, Naruto goes to Hayami's grave and names his swords, Naruto leaves the village with the townspeople's thanks, Naruto travels through marshland killing various creatures and tricks his way into Kusa (Grass Village), and we find out that Konoha students will graduate from the academy at age 14, though we don't know the real reason why.

Alright, thanks! Again, read and review! It inspires me to work faster ;)


	7. His Name is Kisama!

A/N: Hey guys, it's been a while. Sorry this update is so late. It's been a really hard month. But hopefully, updates will come faster.

This chapter is a little bit more on the lighter side. Being a guy who likes to write comedies rather than tragedies, I decided to make this chapter a little less serious. So now, I give you...

Chapter 7: His Name is Kisama

(Somewhere in Rain Country)

A dark cave, outlined by menacing stalagmites under a myriad of cold candles, held a throne of stone in the middle of it. As if a wondrous palace had been petrified, the halls of the castle were etched in moss with the remnants of lichen pooling in an aggregate mass near the corners of the royal halls. The rocks were moist and their wizened lines of stratification showed their age. But to the one man sitting in the center of that majestic and horrible hall, the details of the area had little effect on his conscience.

Rather, the man frowned as he clenched his fists. Every time he used the body transfer, his sharingan drained a lot of energy from him. A full week was necessary to regain at least half of his chakra. Yet a week in stasis was a weakness he was barely able to tolerate. At present time, Itachi was controlling Akatsuki in his name.

Itachi...

Closing his eyes, Madara smirked as he thought of the young prodigy. It had been fortunate that he had harvested the young talent early, convincing him that power was everything. The boy would grow strong, take over his younger brother's body, and ultimately provide himself as a perfect host for him. With Uchiha Sasuke as his body, he would finally be able to take Konoha from those wretched masses and build a power that would usher in a new age: The time of the Uchiha!

Rapping his fingers against his concrete grove, he allowed a smirk to cross his features as he felt all the pieces of the puzzle form. Finally! After three hundred years of bitter work and research. Everything was now pointed in his favor. However, as quickly as his hopes had escalated, a dark shadow started to form over his daytime optimism.

But then again, there was that wild card, Uzumaki Naruto. There were still many mysteries revolving the boy—mysteries that needed answers. The Makaze Mangekyou was a sharingan heard of only in legends; its power was supposed to be of the gods. Yet... How did this boy, who did not even have Uchiha blood in him, carry such eyes. Closing his eyes, he smiled as he lit an Amaterasu above him. As it hovered, he watched the flames dance in an intricate manner.

In any matter, the boy was not an immediate threat to him. He could always take care of the enigma later. For now, he needed to put his efforts into building an army capable of overthrowing Konoha.

(Kusagakure)

Naruto walked through the Grass village as his eyes traveled to different vendors and stores. It seemed as though the village was structured after Konoha—the lush vegetation serving as training areas for ninjas while the main city was filled with the normal denizens of the tranquil village.

"Hey, move it faster kid! Technically, you're not supposed to be here. So if anyone finds out, we're pretty much screwed." The two ninja he had tricked before growled angrily as they anxiously looked from side to side.

Nodding, Naruto continued to don a fake smile as he quickly walked with the two. However, something in the corner of his eye caught his attention as he stopped to inspect it more carefully.

Looking at the large wooden sign posted above the main street, Naruto's eyes shifted with interest as he read the large, bold words.

**Think you're the strongest in Kusa?**

**Want to get some quick money?**

**Want to win a legendary prize?**

**Want to earn a free training session from the legendary Masaki-sama?**

**Then join the Kusa tournament today! **

**Winners will receive all the mentioned prizes! So sign up now!**

"Don't bother kid, that thing's staged."

Naruto turned around as he saw the two ninja with identical smug expressions.

"Yeah. We're both Chunins, yet we haven't even gotten close to winning that tournament. One of the contestants is a student who was trained by Masaki-sama. He's won every tournament since the first one; it's a just a village ploy to get some money for the city without taxing the hell out of us."

Naruto narrowed his eyes as he pointed to a nearby crowd lining up in front of the same sign down the street. "Then why are so many people signing up?"

The Kusa nin smiled as he pointed to the sign. "Regardless of any common sense people might have, the prizes are too great a temptation for them to pass up. The 'legendary prize' refers to Kusa's greatest treasure. It's the sword, Kusanagi, or Grass Cutter. Supposedly, the origin of our village comes from our leader using the sword to cut down the eight heads of the serpent Orochi. The heads then transformed into the jungle you see today, hence our name, Kusa. But that's not even the real prize."

Naruto quirked his eyebrow with interest as he urged him to go on.

"The real prize is something even more priceless. A free training session from the legendary Masaki-sama is the greatest thing you could ever have in the world."

The other Kusa nin joined in as he nodded. "Yeah. Even though Masaki-sensei is over three hundred years old, they say his training is able to make a Genin stronger than a Jounin in just two weeks! Of course, he has a policy for only training one student—and that's the winner of the tournament."

"Also, it was said that he fought against one of the co-founders of Konoha, Uchiha Madara, and won!"

Naruto's eyes sharpened in an instant as he grabbed the man by his arm. "What did you say?"

The Kusa nin, startled by his sudden movement, tried to shake him off as he rubbed his arm. "Oh, that he can make a Genin-"

"Not that, you pug-eyed idiot." Naruto's sudden acerbic tone caused them to wince as he looked them dangerously in the eye.

"What did you say about Uchiha Madara?"

The Kusa nin, given the chance to gloat about his village a little more, took the bait as he excitedly repeated. "He was able to defeat Uchiha Madara when he was younger and walk away without getting hurt! Also, I heard that he defeated the Uchiha's eye techniques with his own special jutsu!"

Naruto's eyes widened as he clenched his fists. So there was a method to defeating the madness! Not bothering to spend any time on the two Kusa nins, he walked over to the sign up table.

"Hey wait! Kid, where do you think you're going?!"

Naruto stopped as he coldly looked back at them. "I'm signing up for the tournament. What you said interested me greatly."

The Chuunin looked at each other nervously as they stood in front of him. "Well, you're not supposed to be here in the first place, so-"

"Let him enter."

The two Kusa nin turned their heads as they saw a strong looking man in his forties with a gray grizzling beard and spiky hair jutting out in all directions.

Looking at Naruto, the newcomer smiled familiarly as he winked. "Ahh... Kuragari-kun. I was wondering when you'd show up."

Naruto's eyes met the man's as he tried to follow the man's words. From the mischievous glint in his eyes, he was able to tell that the man was playing a game of sort. Deciding to play along, Naruto took the man's constructed querie and replied. "Yes. I am sorry that I'm late."

The man looked at the two Kusa nin as he pulled out a badge. "I'm a council member. This is my nephew, Kuragari-kun. I made him try to sneak in to the village to test the security. It seems as though you two have failed though. This merits demotion."

The two Kusa nin paled as they bowed down to the ground. "We're sorry honorary council member. We'll be more careful next time. Please forgive us!"

The man stroked his grizzly beard as he bent down to look at them. "Okay then. We'll keep it a secret. Come Kura-kun, you've made it just in time for dinner."

Not knowing what to do, Naruto kept up his guard as he nodded. Turning to the two Kusa nin, he then responded coldly. "You should have done a more thorough check. If I had been a renegade ninja, you would have put your village to danger." Turning away from his "uncle", Naruto then walked over to the sign up sheet as he signed his name.

Looking warily at the man again, he then walked up to him as they strode past the ninja. Walking quite a distance, they then entered a forest clearing as Naruto's anticipation continued to rise. Had the man found him out? Was he going to attack him in the forest? Walking a few paces further, the man then suddenly stopped, causing Naruto to also stop with a chary gaze upon the man's back. However, the man then grabbed his chest as he started to laugh boisterously.

"HAHAHA! That was great kid! You played along with it like a pro!"

Naruto couldn't help but smile at the man's infectious personality. The man seemed like a good guy, but he would still need to keep his distance. "Yes, as soon as I saw your eyes, I caught sight of your little game."

The man looked interestedly at Naruto before nodding. "Yeah, you sure have some good eyes. But don't you think you'd be able to see me better without that henge over you."

Naruto jumped back suddenly as he pulled out his chokuto from thin air. In an instant, his face changed as he adopted a sharper gaze. "Who are you?"

His eyes widened however as the man suddenly disappeared from view, making him seem as if he had been talking to himself. Looking around, he couldn't sense the man's chakra at all. To move that fast required a strong burst of chakra. But then, how was it that he couldn't feel any-

"Behind you, kid."

Naruto quickly did a 180 as he swung horizontally with his chokuto. He was shocked however when he saw it clutched in the man's hand nonchalantly. With a little pressure, the man then broke his precious blade into pieces. He had little time to mourn though as the man then tossed the broken shrapnels away and latched onto Naruto's left hand.

"Ohh... You're pretty fast! You're starting to interest me more and more!" Frowning, Naruto activated the Mangekyou sharingan at an attempt to use Tsukiyomi, but was shocked to find that the man's eyes were closed. Deciding to unleash Amaterasu instead, the man seemed to catch his intent as he crushed his hand with his much larger one and made him fall to the ground from pain.

"But it's getting pretty annoying talking to an illusion form. Let's see your real face."

Taking two fingers, he suddenly hit Naruto's forehead. In an instant, Naruto felt all of his chakra release as it dismissed the technique.

Letting go of him, Naruto then dropped to the floor as he glared at the man dangerously. "How... How did you do that?" Struggling to get up, he felt his whole body weigh down with an immeasurable weight. "And what did you do to me?"

The man laughed as he sat down on a nearby tree trunk and crossed his arms. "As I thought, you're really young! And more than that, you're incredible at controlling your chakra. What I just did was to simply seal your chakra for a few minutes. The reason why you feel so weak is because that's what you really are: weak."

Naruto swore as he felt his chakra start to move back into his coils. At this rate, he wasn't even able to run at normal speed. "What do you mean, 'I'm weak'?"

The man grinned as he helped Naruto stand up and walk to a nearby tree trunk. "You better sit down for this. Basically, everything you do from jumping to running is only possible because of your chakra. Due to your incredible control, you're able to strengthen your muscles and push them far past the normal capabilities of humans. But without your chakra, you're as weak as a little nine year old boy!"

Naruto glared at him as he tried to move his arms. "I'm ten."

"Yeah whatever." The man waved him off as he continued his explanation. "Anyways, while your chakra ability and control is probably the greatest out there, your taijutsu skills are worse than a puppy's. Of course, you make up for that weakness with chakra to speed up your body."

Naruto clenched his fists as he felt his chakra finally flow into fingertips. "I see..." It was a weakness, that was for sure. He had always been aware of it, but had not thought of correcting it. If he had fought a serious Hyuuga, that one weakness might have cost him his life. He would make sure to fix that in time. But there were more important matters at hand. Disconcerted that the man was still closing his eyes, Naruto sighed as he tried to the traditional approach to interrogation: conversation. "Who are you? What's your motive?"

The man pulled out a bingo book as he flipped to the back. "Ah, here it is. The one million ryo criminal, Uzumaki Naruto of the Jagan."

Naruto sighed as he rubbed his eyes. This bounty thing was getting ridiculous. "So the motive is money?"

The man heavily laughed as he shook his head. "Nope! I was just curious as to why such a kid like you is here at our village. Plus, I was bored and wanted someone to play with."

Naruto looked at the man carefully as he stood up. "I'm planning to go to Kusa for some information. I don't want to make any trouble."

The man grinned as he patted Naruto's shoulder with his big hand. "Then why did you want to sign up for the tournament?"

"That's-" Naruto paused as he steeled his gaze. "That's my business."

The man frowned as he saw Naruto features suddenly become colder. "But despite my vague answer, please tell me who you are. It is only fair since you already know my identity."

The man grinned broadly as he did a strange pose. Firecrackers rang in the background as the man shook his spiky hair and jumped on a rock. "I AM THE WONDERFUL AND TALENTED KISAMA-SAMA!"

Naruto resisted the urge to smack his head as he struggled to reply. "Your name...is a derogatory term."

The man grinned as a strange glint shined in his eye. "Yes. It's what makes me so strong. But that takes me to my next point." Pointing dramatically at Naruto, he yelled as the surrounding forest followed through with a strange gong noise. "I want to train you for the tournament!"

"I refuse. I have my own schedule to follow."

The man suddenly deflated as he slid off the rock. Muttering to himself, he paced back and forth as he rubbed his beard. After a couple minutes, he then jumped up as he smiled. "Oh! Then how about we make a deal! We'll have a short sparring match. If I win, you become my student. If you win, I won't tell anybody who you are."

Naruto looked at him curiously as he shook his head. "Why are you so bent on teaching me? I can't help but think that you'd have an ulterior motive."

The man "hmmm'd" for a minute before grinning. "I've been pretty bored for a while. I'm not allowed to enter the tournament or leave this village, so things have been pretty droll. Also, I need a good punching bag."

Naruto sweatdropped as he shook his head. This man was ridiculous. Yet he had shown a speed and power that had surpassed him before. Perhaps he could learn from this "spar."

"I see. I accept your deal. But please forgive me for not taking you seriously earlier. This time, I will use all my strength. Before that though, please answer a question."

The man smiled as he flexed his arms. Using his right hand, he made his fist punch right through a large oak tree. "Alright, one question."

Taking out Ghen and Hayami, Naruto's face hid behind black and white as he crouched low towards the ground. "Are there any other people in Kusa who are stronger than you?"

The man smirked as he settled into a different fighting stance. "Yes, there is at least one other who is stronger than me."

Naruto's face broke into a genuine smile as he felt Hayami and Ghen rattle with excitement. "That's good to know."

Jumping up, Naruto pushed off a nearby tree as the chakra in his legs gave him an accelerated boost. The man disappeared like before though. Predicting this, Naruto used chakra to send a shockwave out of his left arm, allowing him turn around in midair. As he had expected, the man reappeared right behind him, or now in front of him, with a large fist in tow. Using the flat side of Ghen, he blocked the attack and pushed the man off. Springing forward, he then stabbed with Hayami and made the sword...pass right through him? The two of them looked at the strange sight before the man finally hit Naruto away with his fist.

Sliding on the ground to absorb the impact, Naruto looked at Hayami strangely as he felt the blade with his other hand. How come the sword had simply gone through the man's body? It was definitely a solid blade... Was it a strange effect of being a spirit sword? Naruto had no time to ponder as the man followed up with a kick that was blocked by Ghen. The man refused to let up though as he continued to punch and kick, each attack being blocked by the black kodachi.

"Pretty good blocks there kid! Though, I'm not going to let you attack me with that blade!"

Continuing his onslaught of attacks, Naruto barely managed to keep Ghen in front of him as his sharingan spun wildly. During the entire course of the fight, the man had not looked into Naruto's eyes even once. Moreover, he had not even been allowed the luxury of concentrating to form Amaterasu due to the Kisama's quick attacks.

However, as he blocked more and more attacks, he began to feel his sword arm become heavier and heavier. Were the attacks causing that great of a strain to his muscles? Continuing to block with Ghen, Naruto clenched his sword tightly as he felt it pulse violently. Looking closer at it, he noticed that it had turned into a fine shade of dark red. Realization hit him as he felt his arm begin to droop even more with fatigue. It wasn't his arm that felt heavy, it was the sword! Jumping back, Naruto opened up a two second time window as he looked at Ghen. At the rate he was going, he wouldn't be able to win. He needed to do something about Ghen's weight first.

Feeling his sword arm almost drop to the ground, he almost ran into Kisama's following uppercut. But at the last moment, he weakly pulled Ghen up in a weak attempt to block. The sword suddenly glowed as he swung it, releasing a blinding red flash of light. The effect was instantaneous. The now crimson kodachi gleamed a fantastic red as it shot out a giant, red crescent shock wave of malicious energy. The large crescent beam of energy shot upwards between the two as it swung around and cut through the tops of various trees before finally flying off into the expanse. Looking around, he noticed that the attack had even formed in the space. Smiling, Kisama noticed Naruto's baffled expression as he took the time to charge his own chakra for a counterattack.

"That was a very good attack boy. But now, it's time for mine!"

Shaking his head, Naruto forced his mind out of the gutter as he felt the man collect a vast amount of chakra in his body.

**Ninpou: Hitotsu Hirameki (Ninja arts: First Flash)**

A pure wave of energy shot out of the man's body as Naruto's eyes widened. The blast was too big to avoid, even with a shunshin. Gritting his teeth, the blond unconsciously put Hayami in front of him as he braced himself. To his shock though, the blast simply disappeared once it touched the blade, the giant orb of energy seemingly cut by the simple action of keeping Hayami in front of him. The two looked at the sword in equal bafflement before Naruto finally grinned. It seemed as though he had gained two very special weapons in Kiri. Jumping forward, he sheathed Hayami as he swung Ghen at the man's neck. However, before he could follow through with the attack, his body suddenly turned numb as his limbs refused to move. As his reticular activating system stopped functioning, his eyes closed as the midnight black Ghen slipped out of his limp hand.

OooOo

_Where... Am I? _It was dark and cold. Turning his head to the side, he felt some warmth hit him as he tried to go near it. What was it? Trying to reach for it, he felt his frigid body slowly begin to thaw as a comfortable peace settled over him.

"You finally awake, boy?"

Naruto's eyes snapped open as he sat up. It was nighttime and he had been sleeping next to a fire besides the behemoth he had fought earlier. Looking at him carefully, he noticed that Kisama was holding Ghen and Hayami with his hands while smoldering blisters burned through his skin as he held them. The man hadn't seemed to have sensed his pain however as he looked at the swords with an intense gaze.

"Amazing... Where'd you get these swords boy?"

Naruto sweatdropped as he saw the skin of the man's hands start to fall off. "Um... Your hands are burning."

"What kind of a place is 'your hands are'..." Looking down, the man then screamed as he dropped the swords. "AGHH! OH MY GOD! MY HANDS ARE BURNING!" Running around in circles, Kisama did a strange dance as he rolled around on the floor.

_Is he an idiot? _Naruto couldn't help but wonder as he saw the man begin to hop up and down while hooting like a monkey.

As if he had heard his thoughts though, the Kisama suddenly turned as he pointed at Naruto. "AH! You just called me an idiot, didn't you?!"

Naruto sweatdropped again. _An idiot who can read minds?_

Kisama coughed slightly as the pain seemed to abate and sat back down next to the camp fire. "Well, as I was saying before I found out that my hands were burning..."

Naruto almost did a double take as he noticed that the man's hands were completely fine now. Had the strange dance actually done something?

"Where did you get those swords?"

Naruto frowned as he took the two swords and sheathed them in their respective scabbards. "They were given to me by a good friend."

Kisama smiled as he patted his knees. "Fair enough. But tell me, do you know what these weapons are capable of?"

Naruto thought back to their fight as he nodded. "Ghen seemed to get heavier the more attacks he blocked. After a while, I was able to send all the energy I had absorbed back at you. On the other hand, Hayami, while it wasn't able to attack you directly, was able to cut that attack you did before. I'm guessing that it can dispel chakra based attacks."

The man smiled as he nodded. "You're a smart kid for figuring that out from just one fight. But there's something else. Look at your swords."

Naruto frowned as he pulled them out. On the black sword, the fox insignia had formed two tails while the dragon on the white sword had gained a set of wings.

"I'm guessing that those weren't there before?"

Naruto nodded quietly as he inspected the changed insignia.

"According to old legend, the Kyuubi had nine tails while the legendary white dragon had six pairs of wings. I believe that besides the normal function of being able to cut, your two swords also have more abilities hidden inside of them. The black one with the fox has shown the ability to strike back with one great attack after blocking several smaller ones. The white sword with the dragon was able to cut one of my strongest attacks, and as you said, it was not an attack you'd be able to cut normally. However, it looks like using those abilities take a severe toll on your body since it takes the chakra needed for it directly out of you."

Naruto took the information to heart as he looked at his swords. Had he really acquired such amazing swords from Ghen-san? He had known that they were special but... Looking at the man, he allowed a hint of a smile cast over his face as he looked at the man's serious expression. Perhaps this man was not just an idiot.

"Yes, that is why..." The Kisama paused as he smelled something burning. Looking down, he noticed that his hand had been laying on the fire. "AGHHH! MY HAND'S ON FIRE AGAIN!"

Hopping around and rolling on the floor, Naruto sighed as he watched the man's antics. No, he took back all he had thought before. The man was truly a first class idiot.

"What have I gotten myself into?" Looking at his new teacher with exasperation, Naruto lay down on the floor as he listened to Kisama cry out to the world with pain.

(The Next Morning)

Waking up, Naruto looked at the now dead fire as he stretched out his limbs. They had camped out in the forest for the night and had eaten fish after Kisama had recovered from his little episode.

Looking around, Naruto noticed that the giant man was not there anymore. Shrugging, he was about to go scavenge the area for food when a sudden voice stopped him.

"WAAAAAIT!"

Naruto froze in his tracks as he looked up towards where he heard the voice. A shadow grew larger as Naruto quickly dove to the side, narrowly dodging the human anvil known as Kisama.

"Ah! Good morning young Naruto! Today, we will begin your first day of death!" Kisama paused for a second as he smiled. "Oops, I meant training. Well, same difference."

Taking out a bag from...somewhere, he pulled out a giant set of leg weights and strapped them on Naruto. Immediately, Naruto felt his body fall to the ground as he tried to call on nonexistant energy.

"What. Is. This." Naruto managed to groan out words as he tried to move his body.

"Oh, those are just one hundred pound ankle weights that seal your chakra. With those on, follow me!"

Kisama whistled as he walked past Naruto—the blond glaring at him venomously as he slowly trudged after the spiky haired man.

"Hurry up now! Every minute you arrive at the lake after me will be ten push-ups! And I'll be sitting on you!" Laughing devilishly, Kisama suddenly started running.

Pushing his feet forward, Naruto's legs literally dragged through the dirt as he felt his entire body struggle to lift the weights. Was he really this weak without chakra? Ever since he had been young, Itachi had taught him to control his chakra to refine his strength. Was it, in fact, a disadvantage to rely so heavily on only chakra control?

_That's right. I can't stay the same. Mangekyou or not, I need to get stronger in all areas. This is training._

Feeling a rush of adrenaline, he lifted his legs as he pushed his body to the absolute max. Muscles in his legs began to tear as he over strained them, but the Kyuubi already healed the tissue after each new tear. Each time he felt another muscle snap, an excruciating pain shot up his spine as he faltered mid step. Yet he continued to run with all his might, snapping and rebuilding his muscles in a continuous cycle of pain. After only a mile of such an activity, he began to already feel his legs become more accustomed to the weight. Since muscles needed to be strained to grow, the workout he was doing now was causing the strength capacity of his legs to grow exponentially. Beyond that, he was able to continuously do this rather detrimental process because of the Kyuubi's regenerative powers. Smirking, he felt his speed catch up to a fair jog as he wiped the sweat off of his brow. This Kisama certainly knew his stuff.

Smelling a slight change in the atmosphere, Naruto recognized the nearing presence of a large body of water. Sure enough, after a few more minutes of jogging, he saw Kisami perched on a tree stump with a manic gleam in his eyes.

"Good job boy. But you should have realized the point of the exercise sooner." Taking out a clock, he smiled as he pointed to the hands. "Well, you arrived about an hour after me. That's six hundred push-ups with me sitting on you."

Naruto glared at the man as he resisted the urge to smack him. "Do you really have to sit on me?"

Kisama grinned as he rubbed his beard. "No. But I could put that gigantic boulder on you instead."

Looking at the said boulder that stood higher than the trees, Naruto sighed as he went into push-up position. "I'll take the idiot."

"Hahahaha... HEY! For that, you get another fifty push-ups!" Jumping on Naruto's back, the young blond felt the muscles in his arms and pectorals start to tear as he strained to lift the giant man up.

"Listen carefully to me Naruto."

Naruto continued his push-ups as he opened his ears. The grizzly man was actually being serious, meaning that he had something important to say.

"You may think I'm a child-abuser or a sadist... Well actually, I am."

Naruto almost collapsed but caught himself just in time.

"But really, the reason why I'm making you do these exercises is because you have one crucial flaw. The tournament is in one month, meaning that you need to be strong enough to defeat the strongest ninja in Kusa in that time."

Despite the strain on his body, Naruto managed to grumble out a coherent question. "This man is that strong?"

Kisama nodded as he sat in a more comfortable position on top of Naruto.

"Well, let's just say that at this point, you have a 2 percent chance of winning."

Naruto thought to himself as he closed his eyes. "That's not true. Besides Ghen and Hayami, I have another secret weapon."

"Oh, about that Mangekyou sharingan of yours, don't even think about using it during the tournament."

Naruto suddenly paused as he bit his lip. "You...know about the Mangekyou?"

Kisama laughed as he slapped Naruto's head. "Of course! That description of that Jagan is totally wrong! Or maybe it's right. You do have a strange version of that cursed eye."

Naruto continued to do his push-ups as the strain visibly showed in his voice. "How do you know about it?"

Kisama became quiet as his voice turned grave. "My friend fought with someone who had the Mangekyou before."

"Masaki?"

The man arched an eyebrow as he looked at the boy. "Oh? You know about that old fart? Yeah, that guy's the one who fought with Madara. Although, Madara was only a teenager at the time."

"I see. But tell me why I am not allowed to use the Mangekyou sharingan during the tournament."

Kisama laughed as he shook his head. "For a genius, you sure lack reason!"

"Then will the idiot please tell me the reason?"

Missing the not so subtle insult, Kisami continued. "That tournament is watched by almost every ninja in Kusa. While I'm sure you're strong enough to destroy this village several times over, the ninja aren't exactly going to take it lying down. Also, you won't get your prize if you get found out. Remember, you have a million ryo bounty on your head."

"But what about my appearance? If I'm in a different form, will it matter?"

Kisama slapped Naruto's head as he yelled. "Baka! You won't be able to fight in a Henge'd form. We'll just dye your hair and give you sunglasses!"

_What a...simple method. _Naruto thought as he shook his head. Perhaps it was not good to over think things sometimes.

Naruto then suddenly stood up, causing Kisama to fall over and knock his head on the ground. "Well, that makes six hundred and fifty push-ups."

Kisama grinned evilly as he grabbed Naruto's shoulder. "Oh, good job. You're quite fast. Tired, are you?"

Naruto refused to show him weakness as he glared at him. "No."

Kisama made a strange face that looked like a cross between a laughing chipmunk and a tortoise. "Good, because here's your next assignment."

Lifting his hand dramatically, he pointed to the lake.

"There!"

"...The lake? Do you want me to run on the water?"

The man shook his head as he pointed down. "No, what you'll be doing is much more difficult. Remember, I'll be training the hell out of your taijutsu. This is the final step before the real training."

Naruto stepped back as he looked at the man warily. "Real...training?"

Kisama nodded as he suddenly flashed behind Naruto. "For this exercise, you have to be able to swim to the top to breathe because you'll be dragged down the lake by your weights."

"Wait-"

Kisama used his right hand to punch Naruto's back, causing him to fly over the land and fall into the lake. Immediately, he plummeted as the weights on his legs caused him to fall down to the bottom. Holding his breath, Naruto watched helplessly as the water pressure began to crush his body as he fell for about fifty feet. Finally landing on the lake's floor, he struggled to keep his eyes open in the heavy water. The nitrogen in his body from the severe pressure had already filled his bones. A quick rise would result in horrible pain in his joints—an experience he was not fond of having. Yet, he needed to try to survive. Damn that crazy sadist.

Pushing off with his feet, he managed to get up a couple feet in the water before the weights brought him right back down. Trying to swim, he barely managed to climb a few feet before his arms and legs gave out from the tension. The jogging and push-ups had already exhausted his body. True, the Kyuubi healed and reconstructed his muscles, but that did not mean that he did not lose the fatigue he gained from such actions. Attempting to climb up the watery depths again, he continuously kicked as he started to feel the futility of the action. This was starting to seem impossible.

Feeling his lungs constrict with the lack of air, he opened his mouth as he choked. Forcing his mouth closed again, he looked up at the lighted surface of the water and felt his eyes move to the back of his head. A certain darkness overtook him as he felt his body release itself from the watery prison and transcend into the sanctuary of his mind.

_Will I die here? In this pathetic fashion by an idiot's training method?_

Naruto felt his limbs become numb as his muscles ceased to follow his command. _Even if I did die here, what difference does it make? What was my reason for trying to get so strong in the first place? Was it just to find out about myself? Was it vengeance? Why am I chasing after that man? I can't remember. I feel like I'm falling... How long have I been underwater?_

"_**You exist because you have yet to find your true purpose."**_

Naruto's eyes shot open as the voice rang all around him. He was in a sewer of sorts—a dank and musty smell permeated his nose as his feet pushed against the still water below him. The water that had surrounded him before was gone—replaced instead by an eerie light that bathed his figure in yellow. Also, if he winced his eyes, he was able to make out strange kanji that shaped countless numbers of tomoes on the dark and decrepit walls.

"Who's there?"

"_**Come to me. Follow my voice."**_

Ignoring the fact that he had been underwater just a few seconds ago, Naruto followed the sound of the voice as the dull lights above him outlined the sepia walls. Feeling a large presence to the left of him, he walked through the hall as he stepped into a large room, the size of at least a small village. But the surprise didn't stop there. On the way opposite end of the room, two monstrous eyes gleamed out from the darkness behind old dungeon bars.

"_**And so, we finally meet. I am the Kyuubi no Yoko, the most powerful of all the Biju."**_

Naruto felt himself drawn to the prodigious creature as he felt a strange sense of awe come over him. This creature had been the source of his pain in his childhood; he should have felt rage, yet...

"What did you mean by 'find your purpose'?" Regardless of the millions of other questions he had wanted to ask, for some reason, the blond couldn't help but reiterate the question that had seemingly brought him there.

The Kyuubi showed its wicked teeth as stray wisps of red chakra boiled off of its red fur.

"_**Do you know why you have the Mangekyou sharingan? No... First, do you know exactly what the Mangekyou sharingan is?"**_

Naruto slowly shook his head.

The Kyuubi's chakra shot up as it licked its teeth. _**"Interesting. The boy who connects the present to the past has no idea of his situation. Pitiful human... Those cursed eyes came from demons. Before the newly instated god Izanami ascended to heaven, he had mated with a human woman and had twins. Her child gave birth to what would be the precursor of the sharingan, while the other would consummate with another low level demon to form the byakugan. The precursor to the sharingan, called the Makaze Mangekyou, was an entirely different doujutsu than the sharingan you know today. The wielders held the power to control demons. Also, they had another unusual ability that disappeared after a couple of generations. However, after time, the descendant of the child who held the Makaze Mangekyou had a child with a byakugan user. This gave rise to the Sharingan. Of course, that eye technique is an imitation of the true cursed eyes. But as for the other line of Makaze Mangekou users, the majority of them turned insane for some reason. The ones who still had the true sharingan quickly died out as the new sharingan became the mainstream doujutsu. And after about a thousand years, the bloodlines of Sharingan and Byakugan had developed as separate entities with little side effects. Yet the gene for the Mangekyou still lives in the sharingan. Able to come out with horrible atrocities like killing your best friend, the true form manifests itself through the sin of guilt. However, it is different in your case. Your sharingan was originally different to begin with and it has changed again. The first sharingan you had was the original Mangekyou sharingan. This was because of my influence. As a demon with an immense amount of Youkai, the sharingan was able to find its original roots and open up to its original form. But then that begs the question, how did you have the ability to use the sharingan in the first place?"**_

Naruto felt a silent fear overtake him as the menacing gaze of the Kyuubi bore into his soul. Despite his fears, he boldly questioned. "Tell me, fox."

The fox's grin grew wider as it laughed harshly. _**"Very good... I tell you the truth, when you were born and had me sealed into you, you were stolen and injected with that Uchiha Madara's cells. Normally this would have disrupted your genes beyond repair, causing you to die, but I kept you alive by using my chakra to bind his alleles to your chromosomes, thereby effectively creating a new being. You are, in fact, a mix between who you should have been, and the man known as Uchiha Madara."**_

Naruto's eyes widened as the information threatened to tear his mind. He held a part of that...monster in himself? Was this the reason for his unexplained obsession to find him? Who was he really? Just a clone? A product of an experiment? He wanted it to be a lie—no, he needed it to be a lie. Closing his eyes, Naruto unclenched his fists as he remembered all the people he had killed. The act had been so natural, so simple. It seemed that fate had marked him even before birth—with that man's heralding. However, for some strange reason, this news, rather than discouraging him, seemed to invoke another strong feeling also: curiosity.

"So in the end, I am just a candle lit by coincidence. But tell me, who was the one who made me like this?"

The fox said nothing as it gazed intensely at Naruto's pale face.

Realizing that he wouldn't receive any answers, Naruto sighed as he let it go. He had learned enough about his mutated heritage for one day. The fox probably had some good reason. Looking up at the giant demon, Naruto wondered where this strange trust came from as sheer power billowed through the bars. For all he knew, the demon could have been lying. Whether for psychological warfare or for some other random reason, everything he was experiencing could have been forged by the fox. Yet... This strange attraction dismissed these thoughts as the blond began to feel a strange comfort from the fox's presence_**.**_

After a few moments of silence, Naruto looked back up as he scanned the near desolate room and looked up to jail bars. In the center lay a large parchment of paper that had turned black with decay.

"Is that the seal that holds you in this cage?"

The Kyuubi growled as one of its tails slammed against the cage. _**"You are correct. Yet, that man's cells are causing problems for me. The Mangekyou was originally a cursed eye, as you know already. Not only will it bring pain and suffering in the future, but you will also lose the light of your normal eyes."**_

"Blindness?"

"_**Yes. However, I have been constantly using my chakra to attack this curse. Even now, I am constantly healing your eyes. Also, whenever you use that black chakra of yours, you're actually using a corrupted form of mine. Hence, all the techniques of the Mangekyou come from my chakra."**_

"Then why do I still suffer chakra depletion?"

"_**Let me continue, idiot peon. Anyways, this was true until your little incident back in Kiri with the tattoo of yours. For some reason, it's been feeding more off of your chakra now. To compensate for this, I have been feeding you some of my own chakra."**_

"Why are you helping me?"

The Kyuubi grinned widely as it started to laugh. _**"Help you? Don't be ridiculous. This is all for my escape."**_

Shaking his head, Naruto sighed. He had expected nothing less of the demon. "Can you then explain why my sharingan is different now? Before it was a cross-"

"_**The Makaze Mangekyou."**_

"Don't interrupt me Kyuubi." Naruto smirked at the slightly miffed Kyuubi before continuing. "But now the cross is more like an "x" with kanji in each of the four spaces.

The Kyuubi paused for a second before replying. _**"You should know that answer already. The sharingan evolves when one kills their best friend."**_

Naruto's eyes widened as the image of Hayami suddenly flashed into his mind. Horrific realization dawned on him as remembered. That traumatic day, filled with rain. Although he had not killed her with his own hands, was fate and the universe saying that she had died because of him. Biting his lips, Naruto slammed a fist on the concrete floor as he swore.

"DAMNIT! So that's why they changed!" Swallowing the bile that threatened to climb into his mouth, he irrationally turned his anger to the Kyuubi for reminding him of the incident.

"_**Feel what you want, human. But realize that everything is your fault. If you are weighed down by such events, you are not worthy of such eyes."**_

Naruto spat as he activated his Mangekyou. "You think I want these?! If it weren't for these eyes, I would-"

"_**You would 'what'?" **_The Kyuubi smirked as it saw Naruto's fury start to fade.

Naruto struggled to say that he would have been happy, that he would have continued to live a happy life with his two brothers in Konoha. Yet something deep inside of him told him that if he had never held such eyes, he would have never met Shisui or Itachi.

Holding his breath, Naruto suppressed that horrid image of Hayami into the deeper regions of his mind. "I... am sorry. Even if I am not thankful for such eyes, I should not have lost my temper. Please, tell me more about these eyes."

"_**Hmm.. At least you're able to compose yourself. Well, about your new sharingan, I have no idea. You'd be better of asking someone who's been alive the last couple hundred years. Or better yet, you should just ask that man, Madara. He seems to be knowledgable of such matters."**_

Naruto lightly smiled as felt a little bit of his spirit return. "Ah. So the almighty Kyuubi doesn't know everthing."

"_**Shut it, insignificant cockroach."**_

Naruto shrugged as he walked closer towards the cage. "Hm.. If I wanted to, I could probably control you with the Mangekyou, right?"

The Kyuubi growled viciously as he tackled the bars. _**"Just wait a couple of years. I'll have a wonderful time crunching your minuscule body under my fangs when I escape."**_

"Yes, that's fine." Naruto waved the remark off as he stepped even closer. "But now I come to my final question. Why the hell am I down here?"

The Kyuubi shifted positions in its small cage as it did an action that resembled a shrug. _**"Because you're dying. And you will die, unless you hurry up and find it."**_

Naruto looked at him quizzically. "Find what?" The room started to blur as pond blue mixed with gray and a sudden chilliness overtook him. And while the Kyuubi's menacing visage faded, a thunderous voice echoed through the disappearing room.

"_**Your conviction. Do this well, young one. Both of our fates depend on it."**_

Naruto's eyes shot open as bubbles leaked out of his mouth. He was back at the lake's bottom. However, his eyes were dimmed somewhat as he felt a weariness act upon his body and spirit. _So...that was the Kyuubi no yoko. He didn't seem like the monster from the books. _Drifting his thoughts, he also remembered another revelation. _I... also have cells from Madara. That would explain the sharingan. But as for my conviction... This feeling of revenge seems so empty._

Looking up, Naruto saw the faintest glimmer of light on the lake's surface. It seemed as if he were in a physical setting of where his life stood. He was dragged down by the darkness of his own heart, anchored by his curses. Yet, if he looked up, he was able to see a whole new world—beautiful and incredible in its foreign shape. Despite his will to grasp that light, he could not reach it. Perhaps, he had thought that he had reached it back when Itachi and Shisui had taken care of him. But now, with his chakra gone—the only reminder of Itachi's givings—he was left alone to sink into the despair of isolation.

_So, it ends like this. The boy with the million ryo bounty, dead in a lake. _

Death. The idea of it was not new to him. He knew that he would die eventually. But...

Looking at his hands, Naruto's eyes widened as he saw his hands shaking. Despite being so close to it, why did he seem to fear it so much? Even though his mind seemed ready, his body still tried its hardest to live. And then, it hit him.

He was afraid of dying. He was terrified of not knowing what his purpose had been. An experiment? That was only half of him. The other half, the true Uzumaki Naruto, wished for more. Who would he have been if he hadn't discovered this curse. Would it have been better? Closing his eyes, Naruto smiled softly as images of Shisui slapping a sleeping Itachi came into mind. A few others of Osawari's ramen eating antics and Natsumi's card tricks brought another twitch to his lips. Finally, Hayami's bright smile and Ghen's soft voice filled his heart. Even if fate had taken these things from him, should he not be grateful for having seen them in the first place. Unknowingly, he had surfaced towards the light each time he had met them. Though he was alone in the darkness now...

Naruto yelled as his lungs filled with nonexistent air. His muscles trembled as he felt them be pushed past their limits.

_Even if I'm alone right now..._

Naruto's mind filled with his memories as he crouched low towards the ground.

_For the sake of a better future..._

His body tensed as dormant power threatened to explode.

_I will live on and fight!_

OooOo

Kisama whistled as he sat down on a rock, reading a copy of Icha Icha Paradise in pure bliss. The kid was foolish. Every time he had attacked, the boy had responded in such a way that put his own life in danger. Though it was not good to be afraid, it was also stupid to not have any caution.

Twitching his ears, Kisama grinned as he closed his book. The guest he had sensed from before had finally come. "How'd you get all the way here, ya stupid brat?"

A bald man with a flowing white beard stepped out of the foliage as he leaned on a familiar cane.

"It's been a while, Masaki-sensei."

Kisama grinned as he turned around and laughed happily. "Ghen-kun! You've gotten pretty old! Last I saw you, your spry little arm was spitting out all kinds of swords. But really, the name's Kisama now."

Ghen smiled as he rearranged the letters in his mind. It was just like his master to scramble the own letters of his name to form some ridiculous word. "Sounds like something you made up a the spur of a moment."

Masaki smiled as he patted his former student on the back. "Yeah. But I was pretty surprised when you sent me a letter regarding the boy. I didn't think that he would be this bad."

Ghen looked at him questioningly.

Masaki sighed as he brushed his spiky hair, a hint of his centuries old wisdom peaking behind hazel eyes. "That boy is strong, without a doubt. But his heart lacks true conviction and strength. Those necessary components are the only things that will help him grow from here on out. But really, did you have to make me train another one?"

Ghen bowed as he placed his cane on the floor. "I am sorry if it inconvenienced you. But this boy has come to be like my grandson, though I do not know if the thoughts are reciprocated."

Masaki stroked his grizzly beard as he pointed at the man's back. "So what do you have on your back there? Looks like a sword?"

Ghen nodded as he took off the clothed package. "This sword was left at my shop by Naruto. It might have been chance that he had found this, but..."

Masaki's eyes widened as he took the sword from Ghen's hands. The entire thing was white, the rebuffing done by Ghen's masterful hands themselves. The handle was beautifully made in a style that had been lost centuries ago. Taking one hand, he tried to pull the blade out as he found that he couldn't.

"Is this..."

Ghen nodded as he humbly took the blade and put it back in its cloth case. "Yes, it belongs to her."

Masaki stared at Ghen for a while before suddenly exploding with laughter. "You should have told me sooner Ghen! To think that the chosen one was standing in front of me this entire time. I thought that he was just a useless brat that you had taken a liking to. Seems like we old geezers have got things to do yet."

Ghen smiled as he suddenly felt a strong presence emanate from below the lake's surface. "Well, I will be taking my leave for now. I can't have Naruto knowing that I'm here, since he's already cut all ties with me."

Placing the sword on the ground, he bowed one more time before picking up his walking stick to walk out of the forest. Just before he entered the forest though, Masaki's voice called after him.

"Hey!"

Pausing, Ghen stopped in his tracks as his old eyes stared into the bleak forest in front of him.

"That boy, Naruto. He really does care about you. The name of his swords... The white one was Hayami and the black was called Ghen."

Ghen took a deep breath as he kept his back to his former master. "I see. Thank you." With that, the old man walked into the forest, leaving Naruto and Masaki behind in the open area.

Shaking his head, Masaki grinned as he looked at Ghen's retreating figure. "Stupid brat. I know you're actually really happy right now. You never did like showing your emotions." Looking down at the sword, Masaki picked it up as he raised it above his head.

"Well, can't have him finding this too soon. I'll give it to him after he finishes training." Making a seal, he then rammed the sword, handle end first, into his right palm, making it seemingly disappear into his body.

Looking towards the lake, he the water ripple as he smiled. "Good job for finding it boy... Your conviction, that is."

In that moment, the water exploded out of the lake as Naruto flew a couple dozen feet into the air. A spiraling vortex of water followed after the boy as he flipped out and landed on the ground.

Masaki posed as he smiled in what he believed to be a hip fashion. "Well done, my young student. But you must always-"

He was abruptly silenced by the tidal wave that followed the boy's landing.

(A few moments and a lot of drying later)

Masaki knocked Naruto's head over for the umpteenth time as the blond glared at him.

"It wasn't my fault that you were standing so close to the shore."

"Well, you should have been more careful instead of getting all flashy."

Naruto took his now dried shirt and put it on before sitting down. His previous words echoed in his mind as he shook his head. Had he, someone who had renounced his own life for revenge, actually said something like that? Looking at his master, he sighed as he leaned against a near by tree trunk. Although he had promised to live and keep trying, an immeasurable weight still seemed to pull down on him.

As if sensing his student's sudden depression, Masaki drew some sticks together and made a fire. "You know, life is similar to this fire. All humans live off of some kind of fuel. Sometimes it's money. Other times it's love. However, despite whatever fuel it might be, if it is weak, your fire will also be small. That's why, you must find your fuel—your desire to live.

Naruto looked up at the man as he smiled. "You just made that up didn't you?"

Masaki's eyebrow twitched as the remark hit the truth. "Damn brat."

Naruto's eyes flickered as he observed the fire. "Still, it was very good advice. Thank you."

The two shared a rare and comfortable silence before Masaki slapped himself on the head.

"AGH! Because of our entire ordeal, I had forgotten to make you begin your next training."

Naruto looked at him as he clenched his arms. He felt an incredible power now, one of confidence in his own strength and not his chakra. Was this really the effect of just one day of training? But it was strange. Even though his muscles seemed much stronger, they had not changed in appearance.

"Hm.. I have a question."

Masaki looked at him interestedly as he nodded.

"That underwater training—though crude—has developed my muscles far past what I had possessed before. How come the size of them didn't change though?"

Masaki grinned as he poked the boy's arm. "I'm glad you asked. The human body has three types of muscles. The first is red muscle. This has a lot of strength, but little stamina or speed. Most samurai specialize in developing this type of muscle. The second type is white muscle. This is common in ninja since they need a lot of stamina and speed rather than strength. However, the final type of muscle is a cross between the two. Called pink muscle, the amount of it doesn't change in your body throughout your life. However, through unusual training methods that push your body past their limits, your entire body can be converted to pink muscle. This would give you both speed and strength, while allowing you to be flexible. Right now, your body has been converted to one hundred percent pink muscle."

Naruto flexed his arms as a new strength echoed through them. True, if it had been anyone else, they would not have been able to survive the training due to his advantage of carrying the Kyuubi's healing properties. But still, it was incredible that he was able to attain such power so quickly. With this, he might stand a chance against-

"But don't be in such a hurry brat. Even if you have the pink muscles for the job, it doesn't mean that you have the ability to use them. It takes masters dozens of years to learn to use their pink muscles, and that's while they're developing them. For someone like you who's gotten them in just one day, you don't stand a chance on using them to their fullest potential. At this point, your taijutsu would only show marginal improvements in terms of power."

Naruto frowned as he clenched his fists. So it was hopeless?

"But there's a method that will help you utilize them effectively in time for the tournament."

Naruto's head shot up as he looked the man in the eye.

"Of course, it'll be super dangerous and I can't guarantee your safety, but-"

"Let me do it."

"Oh?" Masaki looked at the determination behind Naruto's eyes before grinning. "I was going to wait until tomorrow, but it looks like you'll be ready today."

Naruto stood up as he stretched out his back and flipped up. Masaki noticed with interest that the weights hardly bothered him anymore.

"So what's this training?"

Masaki's face grew maleficent as he laughed evilly. "Your training with me is done. Everything you did today was preparation for your real training. Normally, people need to do this preparation training for at least a few years, but you seem to be a special exception. Now, the next step is to train with the real masters."

Naruto blinked as he repeated after him. "The real masters?"

Masaki nodded. "It'll be in an area where one week equals one year. A place that puts continuous strain on your body due to the multiplied gravity, you'll have to fight for your life against puny insects..."

Masaki grinned evilly as he cracked his knuckles.

"Naruto, you'll be training under the six boss animals in the summon world for the next four years. In one month, you will return to the real world automatically..."

Masaki bit his thumb as he made Kanji with blood on Naruto's forehead. The blond barely had time to react to such an action. A blinding flash of light and a gust of wind later, Masaki was left alone in the forest as the blond disappeared from the world.

"...If you don't die that is."

TBC...

A/N: Wow, another long chapter. That was quite a ride, yes? Anyways, I hope you like the twist. Like I said before, this chapter's a little bit more on the lighter side. But next chapter, we'll see what's been going on with Osawari, Natsumi, Haku, and the rest of the Konoha genin. Now, I need your opinion guys. Should I...

A) Make six different chapters for the six animal bosses

or

B) Skip the animal summon arc and get straight to the grass tournament? This will probably just start the next, next chapter with Naruto back in the real world.

Your choice guys. A lot of information and hints in this chapter to where this story's heading. Hope you enjoyed it. Please review!


	8. Training

A/N: It's been a while. Short compared to the usual chapters, but it still packs some hefty info.

Chapter 8: Training

Kisama, otherwise known as Masaki, sipped some green tea from his small cup as he looked up at the sky. A bird, screeching something akin to "Idiot", made his eyebrow twitch as it circled above the trees. Frowning, Masaki scratched his head as he thought about what he had just done. True, the boy was physically ready to go to the summon world. But to survive there, you needed more than just strength. His hand unconsciously went to his stomach as he remembered the horrible wounds he had suffered there. The summon masters were vicious monsters who loved to play with their prey. He had sent two students to the horrific world before and only one of them had returned. Actually, to this date, no one had even finished the course. He himself had had to come back during his fight with the sixth boss. Maybe he should have trained him a little more to have prepared him for the trials...

The bird above continued with its screeching as Masaki growled. He wanted to think and this stupid bird wouldn't shut up. Twitching, he snapped his fingers as his chakra shot up.

The screeching bird was no more.

Laying down, Masaki looked up at the forest top as he sighed. Hopefully the brat would come back. He would get in trouble if he had just sent the chosen one to his death. Raising his palm, a white katana in porcelain sheath leaped out as it landed neatly into his other hand. Admiring it for a while, he put it next to him as he closed his eyes.

_Hmm... He's probably getting used to the gravity right now. Well, hopefully he'll learn fast enough to take on the first boss in his first year._

OooOo

Sasuke leaped before swiveling around midair while parrying several shuriken. Feeling a presence to his left, he closed his eyes as he let his body react naturally to the oncoming kunai. Twisting in a matter that would make even the most accomplished acrobat green with envy, the young Uchiha filled his arm with chakra as lightning exploded out of it.

**RAIKIRI**

Sprinting forward with incredible speed, he made six bunshins with one hand and made them go in front of him. With the sudden human wall in place, he then used an earth jutsu to sink into the ground while he made a kage bunshin to take his place in the rear. This all happened in the duration of two seconds, making it seem as if he had simply charged forward behind several clones.

The target, a large man with trench knives, dropped his cigarette as he jumped up into the air. Motioning to his left, he smiled as he saw his partner Anko launch several of her snakes into the ground. A few seconds later, the real Sasuke exploded out of the ground as six snakes followed after him. Cursing, Sasuke brought his raikiri down on them, switching via kawamari right after to avoid wind powered trench knives. Temporarily safe on a tree branch, Sasuke bit his lip as he saw his third opponent finish off his bunshins. He hadn't noticed, however, that another had been waiting for him on that very tree.

"Congratulations Sasuke. You did very well this time."

Sasuke's eyes widened as he looked up to see his sensei smiling.

"Yo."

Sighing, Sasuke raised his hands as he conceded the battle. "Alright, you've won again. I'll go and get lunch."

Dropping down to him, Kakashi ruffled his hair as he nodded. "Make sure you get some for Asuma, Anko, and Ebisu, alright? I'm sure they're hungry too."

Sasuke smiled as he knocked Kakashi's hand off of his head. "Yeah yeah."

Jumping down, Sasuke briefly greeted his teachers as he jogged past them towards the main village.

Thinking back to it, this kind of training had been going on for quite a while now. The news about making the graduation age fourteen was still enough to make him sour though. In actuality, the ploy to keep the students in the academy for two more years was because of him. Clenching his fists, Sasuke cursed the council as he remembered what Kakashi had told him. He wasn't supposed to know, but that scarecrow-sensei of his was never one to really follow orders.

Supposedly, the council feared that Sasuke would go bad like Itachi or Naruto. Itachi he could understand, but Naruto... Sasuke spat as he thought of the ordeal. If anything, he was a genius. He was great, but he was no evil guy. He had often seen the blond laughing like a goof whenever Shisui-san had visited him. Unlike his brother, Naruto was not one to betray his family. But even then, the council's reasons for trying to hinder his strength were strange. It wasn't as if they didn't let him get stronger. Hell, he had private tutors who helped him increase his strength exponentially. No... It was more like they didn't want him to go out of the village. All ninja, Genin included, were able to partake in missions outside of the village. Was it a question of loyalty? The Uchiha shook his head as he cleared his thoughts. Either way, he needed power. Power to find out the truth for himself. About his brother, and about Naruto.

Running straight towards Ichiraku's ramen stand, Sasuke waved hello as he smiled brightly. But really. Betray the village? That would happen the day Naruto gained a sharingan and destroyed half the planet. Very unlikely.

OooOo

Haku was a satisfied girl. Well, she was a happy boy. Actually, it didn't matter what her sex was. She was content with her life. However, things had been getting stranger lately. Zabuza-sama had begun to drink a lot more and their missions were starting to get a little shady. True, they had always taken obscure and pretty much illegal jobs, but this one was different.

"Haku! Pay attention to your surroundings!"

Haku shot her head up as she looked around. They had been surrounded by six ninja—all of them Chunin or higher judging from their garb. Bowing, Haku smiled as she drew out six needles.

"I apologize Zabuza-sama. I will dispose of them immediately."

Zabuza huffed as he unhatched his zanbato. His silence represented his trust to her skill; the last few years had been good to her. She had already surpassed the level of a common jounin and had fully realized the potential of her unique bloodline.

As if practicing a routine, the two rogue ninja flew through the six ninja as they skewered them to pieces. Working in tandem, Haku paralyzed them with her needles before Zabuza slashed them into pieces. After dispatching the last one, they continued their journey towards their client as Haku donned her Hunter-nin mask.

"You've grown quite attached to that mask, haven't you kid?"

Haku smiled behind the porcelain mask. "Do we not all have masks we hide behind, Zabuza-sama?"

Zabuza frowned as he stayed silent.

"I'm sorry, I speak out of place. As your weapon, I should be limited to answering your questions."

"It's okay. Just hurry up so that we can finish this job. After this, we should take a short break."

"Hai, Zabuza-sama."

Arriving at the edge of the woods, Zabuza motioned for Haku to stay hidden in the trees as he entered a large domed complex. The area surrounding the building had an eerie air that invited melancholic feelings. Stepping forward in monotonous rhythm, Zabuza creaked open the door. Light from the setting sun flooded the interior as he saw a solitary person sitting down in the center of the wooden shack. The man cryptically smiled as two sharp earrings hung from his ears. As if he had been waiting for that one meeting, that one moment of time his entire life, the man on the chair stood up as his voice slithered across the room.

"You are Momoichi Zabuza?"

Zabuza immediately felt his senses flare as he took a step back. This man was no normal customer. He couldn't sense any chakra, but the very aura of the man seemed to make the atmosphere thick with poison. Despite his discomfort though, Zabuza stood up straight as he asked semi-politely.

"And what the hell does a man like you want me to do?"

The man stepped forward as yellow gleaming eyes shined brightly in the dark room. Putting his hands in a seal, the man's head suddenly stretched as he bared his fangs.

Reacting with the instinct of an elite ninja, Zabuza slashed down with his sword as he jumped back—the fangs barely missing his bandaged neck. Jumping out of the shack, Zabuza flew through a series of seals as the moisture from all the trees and plants around him flew together to form a giant water dragon.

**Suiton: Suiryuudan **

The figure smirked as the dragon tore through him, the water slicing him into pieces. Understanding that the man was far from gone, Zabuza used hand motions to tell Haku to stay hidden. He had felt the girl's chakra flare as soon as the man had attacked him, but for now, he needed her to stay hidden.

Eyes widening, Zabuza jumped up as several snakes flew out of the ground. Using his giant sword to cut off their heads, he was dismayed to find that the man's chakra signal had disappeared completely. Had he run away or...

A fist suddenly smashed into Zabuza's face as he flew several meters. Smashing into a particularly large tree, the masked nin felt blood rise up his throat as he quickly took off his bandages. Eyes glaring with demonic intent, the demon of the mist dragged his sword behind him as he grinned. This man was not your average ninja. The fighter's blood in him stirred as he clenched his zanbatou tightly.

Like a doll, the man stood not ten meters from him in a slumped posture. Long black hair streamed down his face as purple makeup outlined his snake-like eyes.

"Ah... Zabuza-kun. I never answered your question, did I?"

Zabuza became wary as he eyed the man.

"Well, to tell you the truth, there's a tournament held in Kusagakure in about a month that I want to attend. However, there's a troubling participant there who I don't have the confidence of winning against."

Zabuza frowned as he saw Haku waiting in the corner of his vision. "And what does that have to do with me?"

The man smiled evilly as he crouched down. "You are needed to be my sacrifice... To summon a certain man."

Zabuza spat as he raised his sword off the ground. "You freaks keep giving me the weirdest jobs. The demon of the mist is not a plaything. Even the devil himself does not amuse himself with his servants."

The man laughed sinisterly as he pointed at Zabuza. "Kukukuku... Demons serve the devil. That is their purpose. Therefore, if you are the demon who serves the devil, then that theoretically implies that I have complete control over you since I have often been called a devil--just as you were often called a demon. Of course, in the hypothetical situation that you are a demon and I am a devil, then we would have to abide by the seventy-seven laws of servanthood that say..."

Zabuza's eye twitched as he lifted his sword above his head. "Oh god, I can't believe I'm having a technical discussion on demons with a snake freak." Looking at the myriad of snakes hanging above his opponent, a little spark triggered in Zabuza's prefrontal cortex. "Speaking of which..."

Standing up straight, Zabuza returned his sword to his back and crossed his arms. "Judging from your techniques and fighting style, I'm guessing you're that Konoha missing-nin, Orochimaru. You could always be one of his students, but I doubt someone of your caliber would serve the man."

The snake man stood up straight as he smiled and applauded him. "Very good Zabuza-kun. But will this information hurt you? After all, I am a Sannin—applauded as one of the strongest ninja in the world. Does a mere Jounin like you stand a chance against me?"

Zabuza closed his eyes as he made subtle movements with his body. He and Haku had decided on a system of communication that used brief and extremely small movements for quick messages. At the moment, he was telling Haku to stay back at all costs.

"Oh... and about your little friend in the trees."

Zabuza froze as his eye shifted towards Orochimaru.

"I think I'll take him also as a souvenir."

That did it. Something in Zabuza roared to life as he sprinted forward sword first. He had no idea what made him take such a rash action. Yet in that two second time frame, something in his mind screamed. Despite his claims of Haku being a weapon, he knew that it was completely wrong. The kid was his friend and had become something similar to a daughter. Missing the smirk on Orochimaru's face, Zabuza plunged his giant sword through the man. However, Orochimaru's body had split into three parts and had flown in different directions. Zabuza seemed to have anticipated such an action however, as he quickly made seals. Three water clones sprung out of the ground as each one latched onto an Orochimaru.

**Mizu Bunshin Bakufa **

The clones blew up in torrents of water as Zabuza panted heavily. The explosive water clone technique was even more difficult due to the immense concentration needed to sever the cohesive properties of water. Closing his eyes, Zabuza raised one hand as he covered the field in fog. If he wanted even a chance of escaping, he needed to turn the situation towards his favor. Opening his ears, Zabuza's world erupted in terms of heartbeats, footsteps, and breath as he integrated himself into the cover of invisibility.

"What is it that you are truly after?" Zabuza asked menacingly from his cover. The mist had a speaker effect that made his voice seem to come from all directions, making it a strong technique for disillusioning his opponents.

"Ku ku ku.."

Zabuza's left eye twitched. It was that damn weird laugh again.

"I already told you, Zabuza-kun. Someone of high ability is needed as a sacrifice. You seemed like the perfect specimen: strong taijutsu, strong ninjutsu, and tolerable genjutsu with fierce kenjutsu strength to add. Also.." Orochimaru licked his lips as he charged chakra into his hands. "No one will even notice the loss of your existence."

Zabuza smirked as he tightened his grip on his blade and closed his eyes. "Yeah.. You're right about that. But you know, I don't really care about those things. Rather, that annoying tongue is bothering me right now."

Meanwhile, in the trees, the arboreal Haku clenched her crimson fists as the slickness of her palms held her back. Why didn't he want her to help him? Deciding to trust him, she kept her chakra low despite her feelings and crouched down low. Their opponent was a Sannin and she could not underestimate his abilities. Cloaking into the foliage, she watched with a heavy heart as Zabuza furiously attacked the laid back snake Sannin.

_Please don't be reckless Zabuza-sama. Or I will step in despite your orders._

(Two weeks later)

Masaki picked his nose as he rolled some of his boogers into a ball. Flicking it, he blew a hole into a nearby tree as it fell down to join countless others on the ground.

"Ahhh.. This is so boring. I should have made that brat come back sooner. I can't even go into town because of the jutsu too. Geez..."

Yawning widely and laying down on the grass, he scratched his back with his toes and plucked a few random hairs from his beard. The grass tournament was in two weeks, and until that time, he had absolutely nothing to do.

Well, at least he wasn't in the boy's position. Two years had already passed in the summon world, meaning that, ideally, the boy would be on his third animal boss.

The first animal boss, the monkey king Gokuu, would teach the boy taijutsu and staff skills. The second boss, Manda, would teach him a different style of taijutsu while also giving him lessons in nerve blocking. Masaki winced as he remembered all the times the damn snake plowed through his shoulder. Thankfully, all the animal bosses were able to henge into a more humanoid shape, making combat slightly easier. After all, trying to spar with a two hundred meter long snake was not the easiest of tasks. Smiling, Masaki fondly remembered the third boss. That one was, by far, the most helpful. The slug boss, Katsuyu, actually had a beautiful humanoid form. She had taught him his favorite technique: the one he had used against Naruto that had temporarily blocked his chakra flow. That technique was incredibly useful against people who depended on chakra to do almost everything. Now... the fourth boss, Gamabunta, was a somewhat strange teacher. They basically had drinking contests. Besides learning some water ninjutsu, that boss really didn't teach him much. Well. actually, he was supposed to learn kenjutsu, but he had never taken a liking to swords. It helped that the final test from Gamabunta was to drink forty gallons of sake in one go.

Wincing, Masaki clenched his stomach as he recalled the fifth boss. Enraiha, the fire hawk lord, was easily the most brutal out of all of them. He knew almost every kinjutsu there was in the world and was an incredibly strong flame user as well. His Heaven's flame probably rivaled the kid's Amaterasu. That boy was in for a world of pain. Pitying the blond, Masaki frowned as he thought about the final boss. Although he was able to barely beat Enraiha at full power, the sixth boss was on a whole other level. Shaking his head, Masaki closed his eyes as he basked in complete silence.

_Don't die Naruto. You still have two years to go. Hopefully you don't have to fight the fifth boss before time's up._

OooOo

"I concede to you. Your prowess has proven itself in combat."

A giant tiger bowed down low as the figure in front of it sat down on a tree branch. Long blond hair swayed in the wind as cerulean eyes shifted to red and back to blue.

"That's it? You're the sixth boss? You didn't put up much of a fight. That toad with the forty gallons of sake was much harder to deal with."

The tiger, now a man with flowing gold hair like a lion's mane, stood in front of the boy as he crossed his arms. "Usually, people don't get past me. I don't think I've ever had someone as young as you even get to to me. But I guess the generations get stronger. Well, congratulations."

Naruto stood up as he tore off the remnants of his black shirt and stepped up to the tiger. "So what do I do for the next two years here? Nothing?"

The tiger grinned as he sat down and crossed his legs. I never said that no one had ever gotten past me. When you beat the six animal bosses, you then have to face the the true final boss.

Naruto frowned as he thought back to what that bastard old man had said. "What do you mean?"

The tiger lifted three fingers as he gave a primal smile. "Of the mythical creatures, which ones are the most famous?"

Naruto thought for a second as he tried to recall memories of his childhood. He had never been one to get wrapped up in myths, but he had listened to his fair share of stories.

"The dragon and the phoenix."

The tiger boss grinned as he shook his head. "Wrong kid. Although that's the typical answer, they are the Oni, Tengu, and Kappa."

Naruto narrowed his eyes as he whispered the names to himself. He had never heard of them before.

"The entire time you've been here, you've been watched by these three lords. In one week, one of them will appear before you and teach you all that he knows. That will take up the remainder of time here. Good job getting this far. I hope you turn out to be even stronger than you are now."

Bowing, Naruto walked away as he blurred through the trees.

Watching the boy's fading silhouette, the tiger frowned as he walked into his cave. "Hopefully, the boy will still be human after this. The bestial nature of man is always brought about by the masters.

OooOo

Haku tore through the trees as blood soaked her shirt and dress. Her hunter nin mask hung loosely at her side as tears flew off of her face. Despite the severe wounds on her legs, she pressed forward as she cursed with all her might. Right now, she needed to find someone who could help her...

...and save Zabuza.

Yelling with all her might, her body took one last heave forward before it fell into an open clearing. Losing her consciousness, light faded from her world as she lost her thought in the midst of one bewildered Masaki.

TBC...

A/N: And so, it starts to come together. This chapter was mostly a filler type. Sorry I didn't mention Osawari and company. However, I am quite eager to get back to the main plotline. The votes were cast and I will be skipping the summon arc completely. Next chapter will feature a time skip and will go straight to the grass tournament. And thus, we conclude our first arc and now begin the second. For you romance buffs, the pairing will be revealed in the third arc, or the Konoha arc. PLUS! DO NOT WORRY! EVEN THOUGH NARUTO SEEMS SUPER STRONG, THERE ARE STILL STRONGER OPPONENTS OUT THERE. READ THE LAST CHAPTERS OVER AGAIN AND YOU'LL FIND AT LEAST SIX PEOPLE I FURTIVELY MENTIONED. That said, I have one thing for you to vote on.

Question:

Zabuza dead? Or no...

And now I will give some power levels.

Normal human: 5

Strong human: around 10

Genin: at least 45

Chuunin: at least 100

Jounin: at least 250

Junior Anbu: 180

Anbu leader: 250

Anbu captain: 300

Kage: 500

Characters:

Naruto: 320

Naruto with Sharingan: ?

Naruto with Mangekyou: ?

Masaki: 550+?

Those Kusa nin guards: 150 each

Thanks! Please review! I really read all your comments. Even the simple "Nice." Feel free to input some suggestions. It only gets more exciting from here on out.


	9. Let the Tournament Begin!

A/N: And now we begin the REAL story. Everything else was just exposition. This is the real deal now. So prepare yourself for...

Chapter 9: Let the Tournament Begin

(Five Hundred Years Ago, three miles from present day Konoha)

Death was interesting thing. Words were wasted on it; its laconic nature made it a quiet companion. Indeed, that condign end held so much power over even the strongest of mortals with the choler of the fiercest criminal unable to overcome that nebulous force. Yet to her, death was a friend--an ally of sorts even. To escape the palaver of her supposed life and instead make anew in silence. That sordid life she led made her believe that all mortals, herself included, were condemned to that inexorable fate called life. She despised living, yet found that she could not escape it. Such a paradox would seem inviting to many, but to her, it was an abject hell that held no escape. And so, it was during her final moments of breathing that she looked up at the moon and took it into her in all its entirety. Eyes resting, her white katana rested on her chest as her sable armor complemented the porcelain sheath. Sighing, she closed her eyes as she embraced her forlorn death. She had been alone her entire life and had never explored the realms of friendship. Due to her worry of having her gender uncovered, she had never associated with anyone. Indeed, in this era of war and death, a woman on the battlefield was out of the question. Yet fighting had been her only answer. To fight, and thus, to ultimately die. And now she had accomplished her goal. Images of her indignant childhood threatened to interpolate her thoughts, but her severe training kept her steady. Here, surrounded by the ten thousand men she had slain, would she breathe her last.

Yet fate would not let her be so simply. Smiling for the first time in her life, she felt her heart beat for what she thought would be the last time before a sudden hole ripped through the space above her. Startled greatly by the alien presence, she had never seen such a technique before in her life. In renascent energy--as if the phenomenon had brought her back to life--she stared with wide and curious crimson eyes as a giant arm of white suddenly flew at her and grasped her nimble waist whole. Lifting her up, her trusty katana dropped from her chest as she let herself be taken into the enigmatic rift with her arms hanging limply at her side. The arm had drained her of all her energy and had left her motionless. Led inside the hole, she felt it close behind her as the arm dropped her into what seemed to be a black room. There was no light, and thus, no shapes or colors that she could discern. Her wounds had already begun to heal as she slumped to the ground. The harsh drop was enough to break the band the held her hair together, causing long silver hair to drape over her shoulders. How long had it been since her hair was left in its natural state. Without the threat of any men to see her, she ignored the foreign feeling of not having her hair tied up as she looked around the desolate campus. Was this hell?

"No. You are not dead."

Snapping her eyes open, she shot up with a warrior's instinct as she felt for her katana. Realizing that she had left it on the battlefield, she simply opted for a hand to hand combat stance.

"Rest child. You have plenty of time to prove your worth later."

The room was still completely black, and the voice seemed to come from all around her.

"Confused are you? Your punishment and gift for having slain so many men has finally come to you. I know you are one who desires death. However, you still have a duty to fulfill."

Angry, she calmly spoke as her insides boiled with a raging vengeance. "And who are you, to deny a warrior her death?

A man shroud in pure white suddenly appeared in front of her as light radiated off of him in waves. Being more divine than anything else, she felt her body become weak as she tried to slump against an invisible wall. Eyes downcast by the authority of that light, she bowed her head as the figure placed his hand upon her head.

"My name is Izanami. You will reside in this chamber outside of time until the time is right. I am sorry, but you will have one final mission before you are allowed to rest."

Leaving his words to echo in his place, the man faded from view as she felt her eyes close with drowsiness. As she fell into an unperturbed sleep, she began to see images.

...Images of a blond haired baby with crimson eyes in midnight background.

OooOo

Uzumaki Naruto had always been a boy of patience. Staying with Ghen-san had helped him refine that patience by teaching him how to sculpt things, thereby effectively using his energy on more fruitful tasks. Yet his so called 'master boss' was testing his endurance severely. It had been three weeks since he had defeated the sixth animal boss, and even one of the masters had yet to show. Eye twitching, Naruto broke off a branch on a nearby tree and charged some chakra into his fingers. He had long since discovered that his real elemental affinity had been wind. However, since the Uchiha blood almost always demonstrated a fire affinity, his sharingan had led him to believe that he had been of a fire affinity. In this way, he discovered that when he activated the sharingan, fire techniques came easier. But when he was in his normal state, wind techniques were almost second nature to him.

Refining the chakra he had gathered on his fingers, an invisible blade of wind manifested as he sculpted the raw tree branch. Making little figurines and trinkets had always been a favorite pastime, and during the past two weeks, he had refined that activity into a masterful art. Chipping away at the branch with one hand, Naruto used some wind to push back his hair as he twisted it together on the back with a nearby stick. The tiger had said that one of the bosses would come in a week. Supposedly, that week was spent doing an intricate ritual that the three masters partook in to decide who would train the student. Late by two weeks, Naruto couldn't help but let his frustration flow as he sculpted images of dying birds, oni, and sea creatures with missing heads and limbs.

(Meanwhile in another part of summon world)

"JAN-KEN-PON! JAN-KEN-PON!"

A bird like man yelled as several nearby trees exploded in tandem. "DAMMIT! LET ME TRAIN THE BOY!"

A strange aqua like creature snorted as he threw a giant vortex of water at the bird. "NO! I WANT TO TRAIN HIM YOU STUPID TENGU!"

A gigantic demon with several horns jumped over both of them as he threw a rock over shadowing even himself at them. "YOU GUYS ARE BOTH IDIOTS! THE GREAT MASTER ONI SHALL TRAIN HIM!"

And thus began their five million and twenty-third consecutive game of rock, paper, scissors since Naruto had defeated the sixth boss.

OooOo

Masaki looked at the girl in bewilderment as he let the booger he was about to launch drop mid finger. Rubbing his eyes, he looked at the mangled body that had just dropped from the tree he was about to topple for a few seconds before it finally registered in his mind that the person in front of him might die. Stepping over to her, he poked her head a couple of times as he whispered.

"Hey kid, you alright?"

An unintelligible moan was his reply as he realized that his fingers usually broke through rocks on contact. "Oh.. Woops. Turning her over, he whistled as he noticed the copious wounds that marred her body. Her legs were especially bad as pieces of flesh had actually torn off the bone, leaving the bloody skeleton exposed to the outside world. Her torso featured several punctures, all of which looked like they had come from a poisonous sword, and the bones in her arm were pulverized to the point of not holding a definite form. But what worried him most was the strange small puncture holes on her neck. Lifting her damp and sticky hair, he frowned as he saw a strange tattoo on her neck. Recognizing it as a product of a cursed jutsu, he shook his head as he looked over her again. It would be impossible for her to recover. Whoever had done this clearly had willed a long and painful death to her. Even the cursed jutsu seemed to be done in reckless abandon, as it wasn't even executed properly. It was almost as if it hadn't been intended for her...

Lifting her up slowly, Masaki walked over to a more softer clearing as he laid her down carefully on the grass. Despite his harshness with Naruto, he actually had a soft spot for children. Flexing his arms, Masaki channeled chakra through his body as a green glow surrounded his arms. That hag Chiyo had taught him this jutsu. Normally it required one to sacrifice his or her life for the victim but...

A blue bubble of energy surrounded Masaki as Haku's limbs and body began to regenerate. He wasn't one of the strongest people in the world for nothing.

Seeing her cells begin to reform and converge, he sighed as he realized that she would make it. Even jutsus had their limits. However, it looked like it had not been this one's time to die yet. But even then, her wounds were incredibly severe. To recover to a point of standing would take another three full days of this. Shaking his his head with light mirth, Masaki grumbled as he sat crosslegged.

"Since when have I become such a babysitter? Goddamn it Ghen, you rubbed off on me kid."

OooOo

Hyuuga Hinata was a genius. No, she was beyond a genius. Thought to be the culmination of the Hyuuga bloodline, her jyuuken was even stronger than many of the adults. But that was just half of it. If she had remained limited to the Hyuuga style, she would have simply remained a genius like her cousin Neji. However, ever since that fateful encounter in the forest, she had secretly trained in almost ever other art outside of her clan. The Byakugan was helpful since she was able to watch others train. Call it stealing or anything else, but she had decided to do whatever it costed to get stronger than that boy. Stepping into the complex, the young Hyuuga heiress coldly walked past her father as she bowed slightly on her way. She did the same with all the other main branch members. Only to the branch members did she ever greet kindly, even though they usually cowered from her due to her rank. Actually, she couldn't recall ever having a real conversation with any of the members of her family save her sister. To everyone, she was the ice princess of the Hyuuga family who maintained a dignity that adopted a precocious air.

Opening her door, Hinata sighed as she closed it behind her and walked over to her bed. Flopping backwards onto it, she stretched out her arms before she curled up into a little ball. It was only in the solitude of her room that she was able to drop that mask of coldness and not have to worry about appearances. Closing her eyes, she reached for that black jacket that always remained under her pillow. Her eyes suddenly widened as she felt nothing and quickly turned around to check it carefully. Lifting her pillow, she couldn't find the jacket and she panicked like she had never done before. If her father had found it, the chances of retrieving it were almost zero. Swearing very much not like a royal heiress, Hinata quickly put on her slippers as she ran to her door. Before she got there though, the door opened as Hinata immediately adopted a slower walking pace. It was her sister, Hanabi at the door. Realizing that it was safe to run, she was about to pass her little sister when she saw a black jacket hidden behind her back.

"Hanabi! What do you have behind your back?"

The little girl, scared by her older sister's harsh command remained silent as she opened her muted mouth.

"Give that to me."

Motionless, Hanabi simply stood there as Hinata walked over to her and took it. "Never take this again. You can have anything else in the room, but not this."

Hanabi quietly nodded as tears threatened to spill. Being reprimanded by her father was something she was used to. But her kind sister acting like this...

Hinata's gaze softened as she noticed her sister's downcast expression and bent down towards her. "Sorry Hanabi-chan. This thing is very important to me. I didn't want to lose my temper on you."

The little Hyuuga quickly ran to Hinata as she hugged her sister's waist. Hinata stroked her little sister's hair as she walked over to her bed. Since Hanabi had never known their mother, Hinata had become somewhat of a surrogate mother to her sister.

"Why did you take it?" Her voice was soothing as it simply asked the question due to curiosity, not anger.

"You weren't in bed and I was scared. You always hug that when you sleep so I thought that it would help me too."

Hinata smiled as she looked at the jacket and shook her head. "I'm sorry. Here, you can sleep with me tonight. I'll put you back into your own bed in the morning so that father doesn't find out. Hinata received silence in reply as she found her sister already sleeping. Going into bed, Hinata turned off the light as she closed her eyes. She was originally going to go out that night and train in secret, but it was good to rest once in a while too.

(On the other side of Konoha)

Another person, also hailed as a genius among geniuses, did not sleep that night as he continuously trained under the moonlight. Every technique was thrown at his brother as he fought thousands of Itachis at a time. Tearing through each one, his imaginary foes fell to his ferocious and precise attacks. Visualization training was helpful in getting his body used to fights and Uchiha Sasuke's favorite target was, of course, his brother.

Charging his fourth Raikiri that night, Sasuke felt chakra overflow his body as he crushed several boulders in one blow. If he wanted to find out the truth, he needed to get stronger. Strong enough to take on all four of his senseis. His brother would never have lost to them. Realizing the gap between himself and Itachi, Sasuke's energy seemed to multiply ten fold as he continuously unleashed everything that he had.

"Whoa." Asuma whistled as he watched the boy train. So you're saying that he does this every night?"

Kakashi nodded as he replied. "Well, every night except Ichiraku's dollar ramen sale days."

Anko grinned as she watched Sasuke make several clones fight each other. "So why doesn't he ever fight us like this? It would be a lot more fun if he went all out."

"It's obvious that he does not want us to know how strong he's getting. This worries me."

Kakashi shook his head. "You're wrong Ebisu. It's not that he doesn't choose to fight us with his full strength. He can't. That boy has a limit placed on him. Unless his brother is his opponent, he'll never show his full power."

Ebisu smirked as he adjusted his sunglasses. "I see. But he does this and still goes through morning training?"

Asuma laughed as he lit a cigarette and sighed. "Ah.. When we were young..."

The four remained silent as they continued to watch the young Uchiha go at it before Kakashi suddenly turned to Ebisu. "Hey, how come you're wearing sunglasses at night?"

OooOo

Masaki sighed as he watched with boredom. Three weeks had already passed by and the fourth was coming to a close. The grass tournament was in three days and Naruto was supposed to come back today. Ever since he had healed the girl, she had undergone nonstop training with those pansy mirrors of hers.

"Hey girl! Why don't you take a break and get something to eat for us?"

Haku stopped her technique as she let her ice mirrors disintegrate. This man, Masaki, had healed her. For that, she was incredibly thankful. However, she still felt wary over his immense power. She could tell that even the monstrous snake sannin did not a hold a candle to this man. Speaking of which, she had begun to train herself again. The horrors she had felt from the sannin would never cease to haunt her. To save her master, she needed to become stronger. Feeling her chakra wane, she took the man's request to heart as she decided to take a small break.

"Yes Kisama-sama. But why is it that you never go into town?"

Masaki waved his hand. "Call me Kisama. Kisama-sama sounds ridiculous. And I can't go into town because of a jutsu I'm using."

"A jutsu?"

Masaki grinned as she showed some curiosity. For the past week, she had said almost nothing to him. The fact that she was opening up to conversation now made the time pass by way faster.

"Yeah. My student is training right now and in order for him to stay there, I have to keep this jutsu up in a remote location. He'll be coming back pretty soon actually. It should only be a few hours now..."

Haku paled as she thought about such a student. This master was unbelievably strong. But from what she had seen of him so far, she noticed some characteristics that weren't the very...dignified.

A tree was suddenly uprooted as a booger flew through it.

Take that for instance. Letting her curiosity get the better of her, Haku decided to ask some more questions regarding the mysterious student.

"So your pupil. How long as he been under your tutelage?"

Masaki grinned as he rubbed his beard. "Ah. Interested are you?"

Haku blushed as she looked away. "No...Not really."

Masaki laughed in jubilee as he ignored her last remark. "Well, he is a looker. All I can say about him is that he's a brat. Thinks pretty highly of himself and doesn't like to talk to people. Can't take jokes, doesn't do anything but train for fun, and is bent on a single goal. He also doesn't care too much about his own life--a problem I tried to fix--and he almost never smiles."

Haku's mind wandered as she thought of her master. This student seemed almost exactly like Zabuza-sama. Well, except for the brat part.

"Then again, I've only known him for a little more than a day."

Haku almost face faulted as she laughed nervously. "He's only been your student for a day? What about now?"

"Yep. Well, I guess he's technically still training under me because of my jutsu, but... yeah." A lightbulb suddenly flashed on in Kisama's head as he grinned maliciously. "Hey girl. I got a good idea. Why don't you team up with my student for the tournament?"

Haku tilted her head as she repeated. "Tournament...?"

OooOo

(In a cave near Amegakure)

Itachi trembled as he coughed up blood into his hand. His sickness was taking a toll on him. Yet even now, he had to persevere.

_Yes. We must get young Sasuke's eyes... Or even better, Uzumaki Naruto's._

Itachi had become used to this voice now; it seemed to come with his Mangekyou. He had never asked Madara if he suffered the same problem. Regardless, he was accustomed to that sinister voice in the back of his head.

"Uzumaki belongs to Madara. And-"

_Fool! Our power is everything! You just don't want the guilt of killing the boy on your hands. After all, your best friend's last request-_

"SHUT UP!" The usually apathetic Itachi screamed in his chamber as images of his friend flooded his interior. "That.. That was..."

_You killed him. There's no escaping it. And just as you desired power before, you will desire it again._

Itachi grabbed his head as he bit his lip until it bled. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the ring Pein had given the Akatsuki members. The new boss, Pein, had come to control Akatsuki. With Madara gone in the shadows, Itachi had become the second leader of the group under that enigmatic rain nin.

Getting up from his desk, Itachi calmly put on his robe as he felt for his hat. A walk around fire country was needed.

OooOo

Haku and Masaki were eating their fish as they sat opposite to each other across a fire. The two ate in standard silence, with the palaver of strangers between them. Haku was worried about her master while Masaki wondered when Naruto would arrive. According to the clock, Naruto was supposed to have come back two hours ago. Yet it was almost time for the sun to set and the boy had still not appeared. In the worst case scenario, Naruto had died during the training. Those who lost their lives in the summon world remained there due to the secrets they learned from the animal summon bosses. But he had faith in his student. The chosen one would return, as he and his other student had.

Looking over to the girl across from him, Masaki frowned. As soon as he had mentioned the Kusagakure tournament, the girl had immediately volunteered to sign up for it without even hearing the details. Decisions like that only came from vendettas. Shaking his head, he sighed as he watched her solemn eyes staring at her fish. That was the face of one bent on revenge. So young, yet so ignorant of the effects.

"Kisama-sama."

"Kisama." Masaki corrected.

"Kisama-san. May I know more about my partner in the grass tournament?"

The tournament itself was of unique design. Actually, as a council member of Kusa, Masaki had designed part of its layout. Each contestant usually belonged to a group of up to six people. The confident ones might go alone, but that was usually a fatal mistake. Teaming up gave the chance of sharing the prizes even if some might not win. Also, there was tagging, so you could switch with another ninja mid match. Using tactics to work in tandem with your teammate was a sure strategy for victory. The rounds themselves were tournament based. Of course, there were massive preliminary matches to eliminate all of the cannon fodder. From each preliminary, only one group would emerge. Eight groups would end up in the actual tournament, where the fights would be tag based.

Answering Haku's question, Masaki smiled. "He's strong enough to help you out. He's smart enough to know his limits, so he won't jeopardize you. But I'm going to warn you now. When he comes back, he might not be..."

"Might not be...?"

"Well, human. The place he's training at has absolutely no humans there. That means that there's no such thing as social etiquette either. I can't tell you the details, but for him, he'll have lived that way for four years before he returns. Actually, he might not even have clothes on when he comes back."

Hearing that, Haku almost spit out her food as she became startled. "What?"

"Well, would you wear clothes if you were around animals for four years?"

The two became silent as the imagery crushed the conversation.

After a good moment's silence, Haku resumed her queries as she became more interested in the boy. "So he's fourteen, from what you've told me. That would make him two years older than me. He's strong, right?"

The man remained silent however as he opened his eyes wide. Looking behind her, he smiled as he lifted a finger.

"Hm... I hope so." A voice, not belonging to anyone she had heard before, softly spoke behind her. His tone brimmed with quiet confidence and immediately Haku knew that he was the student.

Hearing the sudden new voice, Haku turned around as she momentarily had to shield her eyes from the setting sun. A shadow suddenly blurred past her as it flew fist first into Masaki's face, effectively making the man fly a good ten meters before knocking down a couple of trees. Now out of the sun, Haku's eyes focused on a fairly tall boy with long flowing blond hair that was tied in the back into a pony tail that almost reached his waist. Slightly feminine in appearance, his midnight black garb contrasted his pale skin. Looking straight at Haku, the blond dropped a knapsack as his eyes flickered between red and blue.

"Uzumaki Naruto." Not offering any other words, Naruto turned over to where Masaki had fallen as he walked over to him. Grabbing him by the collar, Naruto shook him as he slapped him twice. "That's what you get for sending me without warning. The slaps were for lying to me."

Masaki regained consciousness as he heard the boy's last words. "Lying?"

Naruto softly smirked as he stepped back. "There were nine bosses, baka _Masaki_-sensei."

Indeed, the three summon bosses had never been able to settle their game of rock, paper, scissors, so they had all decided to train the boy. It had been hell for him, but at least they never wasted time.

"So, when's the tournament?"

Masaki smiled as he slapped Naruto on the back, eliciting a glare from the boy, and pointed at Haku. "That girl there will be your teammate. Why don't you get to know her? She'll explain the rules to you while I-"

Masaki stopped speaking as Naruto suddenly fell to the floor. Already asleep, Masaki shook his head as he noted the peaceful look on the blond's face. _Congratulations on making it back. We'll have a party after the tournament._

"Hey Haku."

Haku's head shot up to Masaki as her eyes pried away from the teen. For some reason, she felt as if she had met him somewhere. "Yes Kisama-sama?"

"Take care of that boy tonight. Talk to him in the morning and get ready. The tournament is in three days and you need to rest up. I'll be in town for a bit to take care of some things. Oh, and by the way, call me by my real name. I guess those stupid animal bosses told him. It's Masaki." Turning around, Masaki furtively rubbed his cheek as disappeared from view.

"Yes, Masaki-sama."

Turning back to the teen, she looked at his face. Looking around to see if anyone was there, she reached forward with a hand to touch his face before a hand suddenly grabbed hers in midair. Trying to pull away, Haku bit her lip as she tried to stay quiet. From the looks of it, the blond was still asleep.

_To have such an unyielding defense even while asleep, what kind of training did this person go through?_

Deciding that prying her hand away was futile, she opted for a more comfortable position and also fell asleep next to the campfire. Hopefully, she would get some answers by the next day.

OooOo

The next morning, Haku awoke to find a strange feeling on her hand. It should have been incredibly cold, but for some reason, her entire body was filled with a comfortable warmth. Opening her eyes slowly, she leaned up as she found herself alone in the forest. Rubbing her eyes, she pulled some water from the nearby plants as she used it to wash her face. Usually Kisama, no, Masaki-sama could be found sitting right across from her, but...

Haku's eyes suddenly snapped open as she became alert. That boy from yesterday, Uzumaki Naruto. Narrowing her eyes, she sat back down as she calmly breathed. For some reason, that comfortable feeling was still present. As if her entire body was bathed in warm water that flowed from her hand...

Looking down at her hand, her heart skipped a beat as she saw a small gold flame wrapped around it. Forgetting all dignity as the ninja she had grown up as, she yelped with surprise as instinct took over and summoned a torrent of water to drench herself.

"Don't worry. That flame cannot harm things. It is only used for warmth."

Dripping wet, Haku turned to her right as she saw the boy from yesterday sporting a small smirk of amusement. Actually, now that she thought about it, he seemed shorter than before.

"If you're wondering about my appearance, this is my proper age. The summon world has a different time flow from here. I just used my chakra to revert my physical appearance to what it should be. In my actual body, the difference in gravity would cause unnecessary things to happen." Naruto coughed lightly as he remembered what happened in the morning. When he had tried to jog over to the river, his legs had actually carried him over six miles past the stream before he was able to stop himself. Lessons in control were needed. The only reason he had been able to punch his sensei and stop had been due to the fact that Masaki's face had the constancy of pure steel.

Haku stared at him in confoundment as she asked regarding his younger appearance. "People can... do that?"

"Correct. I know Masaki-sensei does. Also, there was that one woman Katsuyu mentioned. But she never really perfected the technique."

Haku stared at the boy, who was now a few inches shorter than her, before asking him innocently. "And what age are you?"

Naruto's blond hair, now much shorter, still swayed in the wind as he pushed it back. "I guess...10. But you should know that. After all, we've met before Hunter-nin san."

As if that name had triggered the memory, Haku suddenly backed away in fright as she pulled out several senbon needles. "You! You're that SS Criminal! Naruto of the-"

"Jagan? It's been a while since I heard that. I guess four years is a long time."

"You were the idiot student that Masaki-sama spoke of?"

Naruto's left eyebrow twitched ever so slightly as he frowned. "Idiot?" Sighing, Naruto shook his head as he let it go. Supposedly, his so called sensei had undergone the same training at the age of six. Despite resenting him, a part of Naruto couldn't help but be impressed. To survive in that world's gravity and face its horrors at the age of six... That man was thoroughly a freak.

"Anyways, do you want to tell me about the tournament? Or should I just use this 'jagan' to read your mind in a few seconds."

Haku immediately spoke up as she remembered her last incident with the technique. "I'll tell you. But only on the condition that you respect my privacy and never look through my head again."

Naruto remained silent for a few seconds before finally nodding. "Okay. But if you ever turn against me, that deal will be void."

Haku, regardless of still being untrusting of the young boy, nodded as she raised her hand to seal for a handshake.

Naruto looked at her hand for a few seconds before pointing at her hand. "Ano.. What's that?"

"..." Haku stared at him with disbelief as she looked at his finger. "You've got to be kidding me."

(Two days later, the long awaited day of the Grass Tournament)

Haku sighed as she walked alongside the young boy. He had simply settled for a black trench coat, saying that he could hide his weapons inside of there. Seemingly gliding with his coat barely touching the floor, the blond waisted no movements as every part of him stood on guard.

But the tradeoff for such discipline, as Haku had found out the past few days, was that the boy had almost no social skills. No, he was able to talk and converse normally, albeit very quietly with very few words, but he was fine in that sense. What was wrong was that he had completely forgotten the customary rituals of society. Saying thank you before a meal, handshakes, salutes, and even bath etiquette. She lightly blushed as she remembered how she had forcefully taught him to never bathe with a person of the opposite sex. Striking into his mind that even looking at the other's naked body was criminal, she couldn't help but laugh a little as she recalled his puzzlement. Apparently, animal world didn't differentiate in the matters of sex.

The past two days had been helpful for the both of them. She had quickly discovered that Naruto was a boy of few words, but with profound and prodigious thoughts. They worked several strategies together as well as training with each other's weaknesses. Well, it was more like training her weaknesses. No matter how hard she tried, Naruto never moved from a single spot during training. Using weapons and other techniques, he always managed to beat her without taking one step. Also, she had often seen him training alone at night. He was always secretive about it, refusing to answer any questions about the gale storms of chakra she had felt while trying to sleep. Expecting no less from Naruto of the Jagan, she was confident of their spot on the main tournament.

But yesterday night had been the real deciding factor in their conversation. She explained to him about the Sannin Orochimaru, and despite not sharing any information about the man, the boy seemed to grow a sudden excitement. It was as if he hadn't cared about the tournament before until she talked about the man. Not knowing his reasons, she decided that it was better to just leave their own reasons to themselves.

"We're here."

Stopping at the stand, Haku watched the boy as he stepped forward to take a pin from the desk. The color of the pin meant that you were in the same group, and everyone had a different number on their pin. Looking at the back of the pin, she saw that they were to be in the preliminary stage six.

"Everyone who is competing in the preliminary rounds, come to your respective stages." An announcer with a chunin vest yelled into the huge crowd as everyone shuffled to get to their stages. Each stage held ten groups, with each group usually holding six people. That meant that there would be around sixty people on each stage at one time. It was basically a huge battle royale that eliminated anyone who wasn't strong enough.

"Haku, let me take care of this. We just have to eliminate all of the other groups, right?"

Haku nodded as she walked up the stairs to the stage. "Are you sure? I could always just surround the place with my mirrors and take down everyone in a few minutes?"

Naruto's coat swished behind him as he placed his sunglasses over his eyes. They had decided to not let him use the Jagan for fear of being recognized; the sunglasses were an extra precautionary measure. However, Naruto had remained adamant about not dyeing his hair. After several futile attempts by her and Masaki, they decided to give up on the pursuit.

The Chunin announcer raised his voice as he pointed to the stages. Confirmation signals were given as the ninja smiled. "Alright. All competing contestants are present and accounted for. Everyone, welcome to the Kusa Village. We are pleased to announce the sixth Kusa Tournament. We have our esteemed judge, Mirobu-sama who will rule over any and all battles."

Naruto and Haku looked over to 'Mirobu' as they saw Masaki sitting there with a bored expression. However, once he saw the two, he excitedly waved as he straightened up in his chair. That man had way too many aliases.

"This is your humble announcer Tekazu. The first battle of the preliminaries will begin in ten seconds."

Everyone on the stages stiffened up as groups gathered together to sort out their allies from their foes. Even Haku felt some anticipation as all of the ninja looked towards them. They probably thought that they would finish off the youngest competitors first. After all, their group was only comprised of two people--both under the age of fifteen too.

"10! 9! 8! 7!"

Stepping forward, Naruto glided over to the center of the stage as he reached into his coat. Haku quickly walked over to him as she quietly whispered into his ear. "Don't show off too much strength Naruto. This is only the preliminary match."

Naruto nodded as he opened up his jacket, revealing his primary weapon of a...stick?

The grins of the other ninja widened greatly as they stepped towards Naruto and Haku. In the crowd, two Kusa nin stood up as they pointed at Naruto. "THAT'S THE KID! OH MY GOD HE'S GOING TO GET SLAUGHTERED!"

From the corner of his vision, Naruto saw the two as he vaguely remembered them as the two idiotic Chunin who had let him into the village.

"6! 5! 4!"

Naruto looked down at his stick as he frowned. Because that idiot sensei of his had broken his chokuto during their first encounter, he had been reduced to using sticks for swords and leaves for shuriken. He absolutely refused to use Ghen and Hayami for chicken scrap opponents.

Sensing his opponents' chakras, a smile reminiscent of pure evil leaked from is face as Haku shivered from fright. She had never seen him get serious once during their fights.

"3! 2! 1!"

Naruto raised his stick as he summoned wind chakra, a fierce maelstrom suddenly overflowing his entire being in an instant.

"GO!"

In one second, the competitors on stage six had realized that they were hopelessly outmatched.

In one second, the grand Kusa tournament had begun.

And in one second, the entire audience in the village of Kusagakure were left speechless as Naruto and Haku won their preliminary match and moved on to the main tournament.

TBC...

A/N: Haha well... Sorry I lied guys. I didn't really get into the Kusa tournament that much this chapter. Too much to cover, you know? Sorry if it seemed kind of drawn out. I needed to put some things in there for future reference. Also, it helps to define their character a little more. Anyways, thank you for all your reviews. I promise the next chapter will feature an epic showdown between Haku/Naruto and Orochimaru. Thanks for sticking with me until now. Just about five more chapters until the end of the Kusa nin arc. After that, we'll get to the depressing, emo, but incredibly spectacular Konoha arc. Don't worry. Naruto's not going to love his childhood village anytime soon. Oh, but one more thing.

I've been getting a lot of complaints about Sasuke being too strong or cool in my fic. Let me give my two cents on making Sasuke a strong character. First, I admit that I was once a Sasuke hater, but c'mon. He's pretty cool now. But besides that, he really is the product of some pretty unfortunate events. If he had never been betrayed by his brother, he would have never been so emo. But besides that, the real point is that this is my story. Sure, I'm using the canon characters and all, but is my Makaze Mangekyou Naruto ANYTHING like the canon version? It's pretty tough to see the similarities besides the fact that they're both the protagonists, thus having protagonist-like traits. So I'll have none of that "Sasugay" stuff because he's an important character in my fic. And just for emphasis, I'll spell out 'fanfiction' once again for you slower folks.

FANFICTION.

Well, now that my little tirade/spiel is over, let me say that it was a long and hard decision to decide what Naruto's regular weapon would be. After debating between claws, another short sword, a chain whip, and wires, I finally decided that using random stuff would be so much more "badass." I mean, c'mon! He like, picks up some leaves, charges some wind chakra, and bam. Instant death shuriken. Sorry, I just thought that it would flow better from living in summon world for four years.

Oh, and for those of you who are confused, Naruto, Sasuke, and the rest are ten. Haku is twelve. Naruto's REAL age is fourteen, but he uses a chakra technique similar to Tsunade's (but more honed) to revert his age back to ten. You'll later find out that he can't draw out his full power in his ten year old form. A little weird, but I needed him to be older. Just deal with it guys.

And finally, we talk about the main story. The beginning must have confused you guys, but let me say this. This chapter introduced the main point of this entire story. Ever wondered why the title's Makaze Mangekyou? Well, you've begun the path in finding that out. It took quite a while, longer than I had hoped, to get to this point. But believe me. I've been planning this for a long time. You guys are going to be so blown away by the genius of it. Hahaha, jk. But trust me, it'll be awesome. For you skeptical folk... just stick through it.

So thank you all for reading yet another chapter of my fanfiction, and please review. Because of your last reviews, I started writing this immediately after. See! You guys CAN make a difference. Make sure you comment on the plot if you can! Thanks.


	10. Back in action

Alright everyone. Here's an update for those of you who last read my story about a year ago. I wanted to first take this time to apologize. I really meant to keep writing during my breaks in college. However, busy times and laziness--I must admit--contributed to an unfulfilled promise. So yeah, I just wanted to say "my bad" and hopefully you'll forgive me? :)

Anyways, I'm really excited to start the konoha arc. I've been running that part through my head for the last six months. I just need to get over this stupid kusa tournament first. Some of you might want to review some of the earlier chapters. I understand that it's been quite a while. Well, I'll try to get an update up as soon as possible. I have a chapter waiting in the wings right now, but it's really unpolished. We'll see what happens.

FORGIVE ME! AND THANKS FOR STILL READING!

Yours,

Neotonix. (I made up that name like, five years ago. Maybe I should change it.)


	11. Of Prisons and Beating Sticks

A/N: Okay guys, I'll be totally honest with you. I hate this chapter. I wrote it about six months ago and it never really passed my criteria. But I needed to get over this hump before I started getting into the good stuff. Just think of it as a transition into some serious awesomeness.

But in other news, I'M BAAAAAAACK!!!!!

Chapter 10: Of Prisons and Beating Sticks

Near the borders of Kumogakure, an underground cavern hidden in the trenches of myriad stone pyramids lay in secret. In the course of its relatively short history as a prison, it had become one of the most horrifying places in existence. For within this horrifying and wretched void lay two individuals who were just as broken as the fragmented beams of light leaking through the small cracks under the stone barricade. Since the first day that they had been thrown into the room, they had come to understand that it would most likely serve as their final resting place.

"Natsumi.." A hoarse whisper diffused through the room as the other figure slowly opened her eyes with fatigue and pain.

"Sh… don't strain your voice. Just focus on healing that wound."

The boy leaned back further as he swallowed dry air. They could not even muster enough energy to move around the small room. The conditions were horrible and the water lacked the pristine characteristic that usually defined it as drinkable. The food was hardly comestible with mephitic odors that more often relinquished their insides rather than allow the food to stay within their stomachs.

Such was the abject state of the former bounty hunters, Sasaki Osawari and Kojiro Natsumi.

This was the price of trying to face that man. Madara had proved to be an opponent beyond them. It was not his overwhelming strength that had brought them into this predicament though. It had been the man's resources. As soon as they had broken in, Natsumi had immediately felt her strength sapping as a strange statue with multiple eyes absorbed her chakra. Powerless to help her partner, she could only watch in horror as Osawaru—Osawari's jinchuuriki counterpart—also disappeared to leave the weaker Osawari behind. With nothing to protect him, Osawari had quickly fallen to the might of one of Madara's men. While they were still weak, a strange seal was placed on them that made it impossible to use any chakra. Without their energy, they were tossed into the dungeon where they would periodically absorb some of Osawaru's bijuu.

It had been two years since their living hell had begun.

"Natsumi.." The weak voice once again reached her ears.

"It's okay, don't waste your words on me-"

"I'm sorry."

Natsumi stopped as she heard his defeated tone. She wanted to console him, but words couldn't reach her throat. They had already gone by for a few months without talking in order to save energy. Actually, now that she thought about it, why were they even trying to save energy? Was it an indication of hope? In their time there, she had learned that hope was a man-made invention meant to offer pleasantries for the cruel hand of fate.

Osawari's voice shuddered as he choked on invisible tears. "I only wanted to find that man. It was because I was selfish that we..."

"Don't worry about it. It was fun while we traveled. I have no complaints."

"I know what happened to your arm, Natsumi. When you tried to steal the guard's keys that first week, you thought I hadn't noticed. But..." Osawari swore as he felt his despair rise despite lacking the emotional energy to fuel it.

Trying to withdraw from him, her body refused to listen as his hand reached for her shoulder. The chakra seal's effects on demons were harsher than being burned alive. Yet despite her physical pain, her internal pain for her master was much greater. She had been so careful to eat as if nothing had happened to her.

Indeed, in the time that Sasaki Osawari and Kojiro Natsumi had stayed in the Akatsuki hideout, they had paid harsh prices along with their freedom. She had lost an arm and Osawari had become blind.

The two remained silent after that with the exception of Osawari's intermittent sniffle. After a few minutes, those sniffles died down to the usual silence as fatigue overtook the boy.

As his eyes closed again, he breathed out one last sentence as he slumped against the wall. "I wonder what's going on outside? Remember that one aniki, Naruto?"

Natsumi smiled as she breathed slowly. "The one that's younger than us?" Settling against the cold stonewall, her body relaxed despite the pain that came from the seal as she remembered the specter-like boy. "Yeah, I wonder what that guy's doing right now."

OooOo

"THIS...THIS IS UNPRECEDENTED! IN THE HISTORY OF KUSAGAKURE, NO TEAM HAS EVER PASSED THE PRELIMINARY ROUND SO QUICKLY! AS EXPECTED OF THE RELATIVES OF MIROBU-SAMA!

The crowd, silent from astonishment (save the one ninja who had blinked during the countdown and was asking everyone what had happened) stared at Haku and Naruto as the blond quietly stepped off stage. Naruto's flamboyant act had taken the attention of even some of the other competitors on the other stages. And then, like a domino effect, applause erupted from the stands as the crowd chanted "Kusagari!" over and over again.

On the steps of the square stage, Naruto sighed as he looked at the stick in his hand. He had still not managed to perfect his control. Tossing it back, the stick disintegrated into dust as Haku quietly followed after him. Until he was able to maintain the stick's form permanently, he would not be able to control his body in its fourteen-year-old state.

However, Haku slightly frowned as she saw the remnants of the stick. She had seen him do the technique many times, although the stick had always disintegrated immediately after he used his chakra. To be able to keep its shape even after imbuing it with his godlike energy was proof that he had been training at night without her. Despite being comrades for only a few days, it was just a little bit disturbing that he would keep such secrets from her. But then again…

Haku shook her head as she looked at the numerous ninja sprawled upon the ground outside of the stage. Regardless of how he did it, he had helped her out with their quick victory. With this, she was one step closer to meeting Orochimaru and finding her master.

"AND FOLLOWING STAGE SIX, KIRA-SAMA HAS DEFEATED ALL OF HIS OPPONENTS!" The announcer's voice boomed out again as Haku turned to look at stage eight. The crowd cheered loudly, if not even louder than they did for Naruto's surprise victory, as a young man with long, spiky red hair around eighteen years old stepped off of his respective stage. As far as she saw, he had no teammates. Remembering the name "Kira", she understood this person to be the former tournament champ as well as the famed student of Masaki-sama. Looking over to "Mirobu", her curiosity slightly grew as she saw his frowning face. Something didn't add up. Why did Masaki-sama help give Naruto the power to defeat his own student? What was his motive? In the world of ninjas, there was no such thing as a free bento.

"Haku. You're slow."

Haku snapped out of her pondering as she saw Naruto waiting for her.

Wait. Her mind froze as she tried to analyze the situation. He was waiting for her? The boy who had completely lacked all social propriety just a few days ago? Smiling just a little bit, Haku resisted the urge to put a little spring into her step she followed his pace. The two then disappeared into the tent that was for the winners of the preliminary matches. They had no need to watch the others. In time, she knew that they would fight Orochimaru.

The rest of the tournament passed by quickly with the succeeding groups easily showing their superiority. All in all, eight groups were left. Since it was an elimination tournament, Haku and Naruto would have to fight three different groups in total. One of those would definitely be Orochimaru's group since she doubted that anyone here, save maybe Kira, would be on his level.

And so, the first three matches passed on relatively quickly with the victors winning without any of their real strength. It seemed that there was still a large power margin within the first seed. Within the victors, no spectacularly distinguishing techniques were shown. It was obvious that everyone wanted to save his or her best cards for last.

And then, the time had come for them to step onto the stage. Their opponent was group 6 with three different members. All of them had quite normal appearances, but she knew best that figures could be deceiving.

"Haku, do you want to go first?"

Haku looked at the line of opponents before shaking her head. "If it's okay, I'd rather stay behind and analyze the opponents. If you want to, tag out."

Naruto nodded curtly before stepping onto the stage. That was what he had wanted in the first place. Looking at the other end where the group of six was, he brought out his stick as his gazed pierced through them. "Who's first?"

One of the members slowly stepped forward as he walked up to meet Naruto. He had a nimble build with long silver hair. With a pale complexion rivaling his own, Naruto immediately recognized the ninja as someone who had gone through some severe trauma. Also, as far as he could tell, this man was not under disguise. However, there was a slight patch of skin covering the middle of the man's forehead. Although a person would normally not be able to tell, Naruto's frequent use of the sharingan had led him to be able to notice the little nuances of the human figure; artificial skin grafts and disguises were no exception.

From the build of the man, Naruto could also tell that he was a short-range fighter. However, there was still something off with his frame. Bowing slightly, the man's face remained emotionless as he withdrew a single kodachi. "I, Kotetsu, will serve as your opponent."

Naruto nodded as his face became just as blank. The first rule he had learned from the summon masters was to wipe out your emotions during a fight. It made your movements virtually unreadable and also played a psychological role in a fight.

In an instant, a maelstrom of chakra and wind surrounded Naruto's already infamous "beating stick" as he disappeared and reappeared behind Kotetsu. The kodachi user, in a feat of amazing reflexes, twisted his body around to parry the attack with his kodachi. Despite the harshness of Naruto's attack, the man had used the kodochi expertly to absorb the blow and even dispel some of the wind back towards the audience.

However, as his stick tested its durability against Koetetsu's kodachi, Naruto's eyes immediately caught sight of the man's arms rumbling with some strange movement. Sensing danger, Naruto immediately dropped his stick as he jumped above the man. Though it was for but a second, a bone seemed to shoot out from the man's ulna before retreating back into the man's arm.

Narrowing his eyes, Naruto flipped over as he used a burst of wind to dash midair back to his original spot on the stage. His time on the island had not only trained his strength, but had also introduced a new hobby: breaking his opponents' techniques. Although it would be a lot easier to just use his sharingan, he actually enjoyed the process of analyzing and dissecting his opponent's fighting styles. It was this keen ability that had led him to his victory over some of the more tenacious summon bosses.

The kodachi wielder slowly stood up back to an upright position as his kodachi lay limp in his hand. To think that his opponent was actually able to avoid his bone technique… That kind of ability came from experience and honed instinct, not just luck. Since his bloodline technique would give away his identity, he needed to use his bones underneath his robes. Unfortunately, such a fighting style was cumbersome to him. Nevertheless, he would need to finish this without exhibiting his bloodline. In the end, all was for his master. Shifting into a fighting stance, Kotetsu held his kodachi in front of him as he felt his bones rumble from underneath his robes. Despite whatever his mind reasoned out, his bones thirsted for battle. He would need to finish this quickly.

Looking at the kodachi wielder's stance, Naruto realized that his back leg held the majority of the man's weight. That meant that he was going to be on the defensive. Deciding to test the waters, Naruto sprung forward as he pulled out several leaves. **NINPOU: HA SHURIKEN NO JUTSU (Ninja art: Leaf shuriken technique)**

The chakra imbued leaves spun extremely fast as little vortexes of wind shot out around them. Raising his sword, Koetetsu jumped back as he parried two or three leaves at a time with his sword. During the onslaught of the makeshift shuriken attack however, Naruto had already shot behind him with another stick. Although this one lacked the maelstrom that had been present with the first stick, Koetetsu could sense that it was nowhere near the fragility of a normal branch. However, the result would be the same. Bringing his arm around, he continued to parry the leaves with his kodachi as a bone quickly slipped out of his robe. Grabbing onto it in reverse hold, he slashed back towards the boy as he used one of his signature techniques.

**TSUBAKI NO MAI (Dance of the Camella)**

In a flurry of attacks, the bone wielder launched his vicious technique in full power. After the last leaf was deflected, his kodachi joined in as he used both swords to execute the technique. As Kimimaro, leader of the sound five, he had never failed to finish an opponent with this attack. It was the very essence of the fusion of taijutsu and kenjutsu.

Yet…

Kotetsu, or Kimimaro, frowned as he found that he couldn't budge his swords from place. Both tips of his swords had penetrated the stick and, to his displeasure, he found that they were stuck in that position.

Haku looked at the two from the bottom of the stage as she remembered the technique. He had used it on her needles. Basically, the theory behind the technique was quite simple. If Naruto relinquished the chakra in the sticks for a split second and allowed that kodachi wielder to penetrate the wood, then Naruto could just as easily keep them inside by subsequently increasing the density of the stick with chakra. Also, by placing his chakra within the stick, he could make the swords stick. While it sounded simple in theory, it was nearly impossible to do in practice due to the precise timing and speed that you needed.

Grabbing both ends of the stick with his hands, Naruto then spun the two ends around, causing Kimimaro to let go of his weapons.

"So it was a bone…" Naruto commented offhandedly as he looked at the weapon in his stick. Well, no matter. Throwing away the kodachi and the bone, Naruto held up his stick as he charged chakra back into it.

Kimimaro felt his heart race as he tried to calm himself. While his exterior remained placid, his mind was racing to try and defy the very logic of what had just occurred. Although he briefly understood what had just happened, he could not believe it. No human could have such reflexes and astute chakra control. Not even his master, Orochimaru. Moreover, the boy had shown considerable skill in swordplay. Even with one stick, there were numerous times that he could have been countered. His only hope now was that the two points of damage on the boy's weapon would be enough to help him break it with his next round of attacks.

This match is going to end soon if you don't use your full power." Naruto said while slowly walking towards Kimimaro.

Kimimaro stood up as he released another bone. "What do you mean? I am not like the trash of some of my other teammates. You will find that it is much harder to defeat me than you think." Although he sounded confident on the outside, Kimimaro was starting to panic in the inside. He was supposed to have rivaled Orochimaru when he was his age, yet this boy who was at least a couple years younger than him was making it seem like he was Tayuya or a random sound chuunin.

"Well then, I guess I'll start attacking seriously now." Naruto's eyes lightened up ever so slightly as he opened his cloak and reached towards one of the inner pockets to pull out… another stick. Except this one had jagged regions with multiple nails attached to it that made it more of a thorny club than a sleek stick.

A collective 'WHAT THE HELL?' seemed to echo through the audience as even Haku began to wonder what hobbies Naruto had developed in summon world.

Kimimaro almost groaned aloud as even the Sound Four back on the ground stage winced. This was going to be a little bit more difficult than they had originally thought.

OooOo

"AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"

Osawari's eyes snapped open as he gripped his head with his hands. Flailing around, he tried to kick off of something, anything, in hopes of escaping the excruciating pain.

"STOP IT! YOU'LL KILL HIM!" Natsumi, despite having no strength, stood up as she made a feeble attempt at a run. Instead, she felt her legs give out from under her as her hands clutched dirt. "DAMMIT!" Screaming in frustration, she watched in hopelessness as Osawari's screams finally muted to unpeaceful unconsciousness--the streams of youkai energy ripping out from his body.

"This process is taking too long. Are you sure this is working Pain?"

Nine shadows stood around in a circle as each one rested on top of what seemed to be fingers. "It's because of that traitor, Orochimaru. Despite his apparent worthlessness, his chakra would have made this ritual much faster. I had originally created this mechanism for drawing on the chakra of twelve kage level ninja."

"Ch.. I should be enough for fifty Kages!"

"Quiet Deidara. It's bad enough you go bragging around about your art."

"AT LEAST MY ART DOESN'T LOOK LIKE SOMETHING OUT OF A HORROR MOVIE!"

Sasori's eyes gained a dangerous gleam as he moved his tail dangerously close to Deidara's head.

"HEY! HEY! WE'RE WORKING HERE! THAT'S NOT FAIR!"

"ENOUGH!" Pain shouted, making both Deidara and Sasori freeze. Here were two of the most feared ninja of all time, and yet they bickered like children. Sometimes Pain wondered why he had ever bothered following that man's suggestion. True, the Bijuu would help his ambition but...

Seeing the suspended boy nearly dead, Pain lowered his hand as the jutsu fell. "That is enough for today. We will continue the extraction process in one week's time after the carrier has regained some life."

The members collectively grumbled as Pain's shadow disappeared. One by one, all of the ninja faded until just one shadow was left. By then, Natsumi had already reached the unconscious Osawari as she checked up on him.

"He's alive. We wouldn't kill him before extracting the bijuu."

Natsumi turned as she glared at the man who had remained behind; it was the man who had captured them and was currently in charge of keeping them in this prison.

"He better stay alive."

Itachi sighed as he bent down, his hand reaching over the boy's torso. A green light started to shine as Natsumi immediately brought up her hand to push it away. Unfortunately, her strength was just enough to fall on the man's steady hand.

"Stop hurting him, stop!"

Itachi remained silent as silent beads of sweat ran down his brow. Medical techniques had never been his forte and this girl's whining wasn't helping him in the slightest.

"I'm trying to heal him."

Natsumi stopped whimpering as she looked at Osawari's face. Sure enough, the boy's face had become less strained. Waiting in anticipation for a few minutes, she finally turned to the man before asking.

"Why?"

Itachi closed his hands as the glow faded, his eyes closing in tandem. "Because he is needed alive." With that, Itachi knocked Natsumi out with a quick blow to her neck and lifted them up together. Straining slightly under their combined weight, Itachi sighed as he walked over to the holding cells. Looking at the unconscious faces of the two, his face lightened as he gently laid them down on the dungeon floor. Making sure that no one was watching, he sharpened his eyes as he lit a small amaterasu in the air above them. Until they woke up, the flame would keep them warm. Closing the door, Itachi sighed as he leaned his head against the wall.

"Good night."

Straightening up after a few moments, he then walked away as a stream of blood flowed from his right eye. It was almost time to visit a certain someone...

OooOo

Naruto kicked Kimimaro several times before lashing out with his "beating stick vers. 2". Widening his eyes with fear, Kimimaro's primal instincts screamed for him to dodge the chakra whips as his legs exhibited a strength they had never knew before. Jumping away, Kimimaro resisted the urge to jump into his curse seal level 2 stage as little chakra whips continuously grooved his skin. However, if he showed either the curse seal or his unique bloodline in front of the audience, it would jeopardize their entire mission. In fact, it was a risk even using the kodachi-like bones.

In the midst of his attacks, Naruto's face remained impassive as he asked Kimimaro. "Why aren't you fighting at full strength? Surely you must have a reason. Perhaps your..."

Naruto turned his head around as he looked at Kimimaro's remaining teammates. Seeing his chance, Kimimaro leapt forward with a downward strike. It was all for naught though, as Naruto blocked the bone with two fingers from his free hand. Turning his head back to Kimimaro, Naruto flashed a hint of a mischievous smile as he finished his sentence. "...your master ordered you not to because of your foreign bloodline."

Kimimaro's eyes widened as he realized that somehow, the boy had figured out that Orochimaru-sama was one of his teammates. This factor changed everything. He needed to defeat this person at...

"All costs?" Naruto smirked as he finished Kimimaro's thoughts aloud.

"What? How did you-"

He was stopped short from finishing his question though as Naruto slowly dipped his head, raising his sharingan eyes up at Kimimaro. His voice became menacingly deeper as six tomoe spun around his pupils at a furious speed. "Call Orochimaru out. I should greet the man who made me like this."

Kimimaro's hand fell as beads of sweat fell from his head. How... How did this happen? He had heard all about the freak experiment that Orochimaru had created in Konoha. To think that this boy would be standing in front of them... Gulping, Kimimaro raised his hand as he yelled out to the Kusa judges. "I forfeit the match." Walking away from the smiling Naruto and towards one, frowning kusa-disguised nin, Kimimaro whispered a few words into his master's ears before a sickening and horrifying smile made its way onto his face.

"Trap those two in the stage with the rest of the sound five. The plan for the sword Kusanagi is of little importance now. Kabuto will help me take care of the ice-nin while I go greet my new container."

Kimimaro winced slightly as he heard his master speak of a new container before bowing. "Yes, Orochimaru-sama."

Meanwhile, on the stage, Naruto stared at the man Kimimaro had approached with his sharingan blaring behind his sunglasses. The chakra level and the strange jutsu placed on his body made him the greatest suspect for the missing-nin who had cursed him with these eyes. Motioning Haku onto the stage, he threw off his cloak as it made a dent in the stage. "Get ready for your revenge Haku. You can have whatever is left of him after I tear him to pieces." A slight chill ran up her spine as she saw his eyes glow red even from behind his sunglasses. Never had he shown any emotion other than amusement or boredom while he had been with her. However...

Haku couldn't help but feel some excitement as she pulled out a scroll with the kanji for sword on it. She hadn't been waiting for this day like a lame duck. She would get her master back, with either Naruto's power or her own.

TBC…

A/N: Like I said, I'm really not satisfied with the quality of this chapter. I promise the next one will be totally awesome though. I was originally planning to tell Natsumi and Osawari's origins, but I thought that most of the readers probably wouldn't care. Maybe later I'll do a side arc of everyone's past. But right now, I want to run on through to the Konoha arc. Expect things to really pick up when Itachi meets up with Naruto. Sorry again for the super delay guys. Really. I am.


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